


Convergence

by Lugialvr1994



Category: Original Work, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Senjou no Valkyria | Valkyria Chronicles, Shadow of the Colossus
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Complete, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Female Protagonist, Gen, Gen Work, Magic, Magic-Users, Mostly Gen, Multi, Redemption, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-02-29 17:02:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 80,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18782428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lugialvr1994/pseuds/Lugialvr1994
Summary: In the aftermath of a global crisis, a private duel intended to bring closure is interrupted by a hostile extradimensional force. What followed, was an attempt to return home, a collision of worlds and a new battle for a free future.See notes for further information, including which previous stories of mine this story follows from.





	1. Duel of the Heroines

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to be able to say here that this story, my first crossover, is somehow the planned culmination of all of my previous work. My little Infinity War if you would. In reality, it is not that. In fact, I came up with this idea reasonably recently. Long after my latest work, the semi-original fantasy story Sacred Wars: Tales of Austean was finished posting. I decided to finally complete and release the “Author’s Cut Edition” of PMD: In the Wake of Humanity and do the same for its sequel in preparation for writing and posting this story, actually. This project is not a planned culmination of all of my stories so far. However, it is a canon sequel to the following works (listed roughly in order from highest to lowest priority to have read before reading this story): Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: In the Wake of Humanity, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: On the Frontier of Chaos, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Dawn of the Imperium, Soul of the Colossus and Sacred Wars: Tales of Austean. As for the listing of Valkyria Chronicles as a fandom for this story, that comes from a twice-failed attempt by me to write a story based off of that series. That twice-aborted story is non-canon with regard to this story. In fact, the Valkyria Chronicles elements that appear in this crossover mainly come from the, still frustratingly un-localized, third game in the series. 
> 
> The idea for this story came about from my wanting to write a new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ruins of Civilization story set in the long gap between On the Frontier of Chaos and The Sinful World. However, it got combined with some vague ideas I had for a multi-fandom crossover, eventually leading to the final product. A lot of ideas ended up on the “cutting room floor,” I can tell you that much. Throughout this story I will possibly leave a few author’s notes at the beginnings and ending of chapters to help explain a couple details. In terms of posting schedule, I plan to post one chapter every Monday and Friday until this story is fully posted. Like all of my previous works, this story has already been finished. With all of that out of the way, please enjoy the intersection of my greatest fandom passions, some of my past works and my semi-original fantasy setting. This is Convergence.

Polumbos City: The Alliance Territory:

            It was a warm fall day in Polumbos City, the farming and trading center of the southern Alliance Territory. In the grassy backyard of a medium-sized house, two creatures uneasily looked each other over. Both of them were female. One of them was a bipedal blue and black jackal-like humanoid with one bone spike on the back of each of her hands on her chest, a Lucario. The other was a beige-furred, red-eyed, nine-tailed fox, a Ninetales. Nearby the two Pokémon was an unfinished painting sitting on an easel. From what could be seen, the canvas depicted a sunrise over a peaceful lake.

            Kyla, the Lucario, glanced over at the painting sitting in her backyard. She knew that she really needed to take a break from using the sunrise motif in her artwork. She then looked back over to her “guest,” Arya. The quartet of black floppy ear-like organs on the back of Kyla’s head stiffened slightly as she sensed a confluence of negative emotions in the vulpine.

            Kyla then looked Arya in the eyes and asked, slight anger in her voice, “I know who you are, Arya. You said you came all the way here to talk with me, I guess I should be flattered?”

            Arya’s aura flared up and the fox replied, her voice holding back rage, “I assume, you know why I am came here then? I know that it was you who killed my fiancé, Mewtwo. I know that he killed your father… trust me I was shocked to hear about Geoffrey’s fate. Still, I cannot so easily forgive you for what you did.”

            Kyla glared, she knew she had to have this conversation now that Arya had come all the way from the Frontier continent. However, she still did not feel the need to justify her actions seven years ago to anyone. She knew what she had done. She had both avenged her father and wiped a great menace from a still-unstable world. Kyla then sighed and told Arya, “If you expect me to even to try to apologize, then you are sorely mistaken. Yes, he killed my father, who had served him loyally for years, moments before. I slew him. In fact, he did so in front of me, my fiancé and my closest friends. However, it was also a condition of our mission that Mewtwo die. As far as I am concerned, he had to be stopped. I did what had to be done.”

            It did not take Aura Sense to tell that Arya was fuming. She shot back, “That was all he was to you! A mission objective to be completed, an evil to be stopped! You could have been one of us…. if your mother had not fled with you after you were born. That’s right, I know all that you went through because of her foolishness.”

            Kyla remained uncharacteristically calm, despite Arya having insulted her mother. She then smirked and replied, “You say all of that, yet who won the war? The Imperium is no more. You spent time in your own hometown’s prison for your role in it. The world remains divided, but much of it is at least free.”

            Arya seemed to back down a bit and then said, “You only met Mewtwo twice. You did not know him like I did. You only saw him as a genetic abomination. I loved him and he loved me…”

            Kyla grimaced, she felt sorry for Arya, but not in the way Arya wanted her to. Kyla then declared, “Arya, Mewtwo was just manipulating you like he manipulated everyone else he encountered. He even tried to manipulate me when I first met him. The world is so much better off now that him and his mad dream are gone. You have a job and a life now, you should just move on.”

            Arya’s mouth began to enflame and her eyes lit up. Kyla sensed actual hatred coming from Arya’s aura now. Arya then howled, “You arrogant girl! I will move on as best as I can, but not before this. Kyla, I challenge you to a duel! No items, no allies. Just me and you. I cannot change the outcome of the war, but I can burn some closure out of you!”

            Kyla, not being known as one to back down, replied, “I accept. The duel will be non-lethal, however. You know I can sense your aura, so you will have to honestly accept that condition. I have a family and friends here and I won’t risk my life just so you can have your so-called closure. Also, I will write a note for my family so that they know what’s going on in case you try anything.”

            The still enraged Arya declared, “Deal! I just want you to taste defeat, that is all.”

            Kyla could tell that she had really gotten under Arya’s skin. She wondered what the sort of closure the Ninetales had expected to get out of her when she had paid her surprise visit to Kyla’s house. Kyla also had a good idea that even though, Arya had loved Mewtwo, she was not Mewtwo. That meant that Arya probably did not want to actually kill her. She was misguided and angry that someone was openly challenging her assumptions.

            Arya waited out in front of Kyla’s house while Kyla wrote the note explaining to her family and friends where she was, in case something went wrong. It was doubtful that Arya had hired anyone to help her attack Kyla, once they were alone. Kyla’s Aura Sense would pick up anyone before they even got into visual range and Arya knew that. However, Kyla was not taking any chances in case she was knocked out and Arya considered breaking the deal to avenge Mewtwo. Kyla knew that her Machoke husband and former adventuring companion, Chadwick, was at work and had brought their youngest daughter Macy with him. Her older children no longer lived at home, even though Ana, her oldest, still lived in Polumbos.

            Kyla left the note on the kitchen table. She then walked outside to meet Arya and the two Pokémon walked silently to the woods just outside of the city.

            Kyla and Arya soon found a small clearing bordered by trees with browning leaves. As the two of them took up their positions on opposite sides of the clearing, Kyla called out, “I have a painting to get back to. Let’s make this quick.”

            Arya called back, smiling, “I will make this as quick as I can then. I doubt you will hold still, though.”

            Kyla and Arya then looked each other in the eyes and began.

            Kyla held out her hands close to each other and charged up an Aura, Sphere. She wished items had been allowed since that would have allowed her to even the odds with her Mega-Stone. However, she was not planning on giving Arya an easy fight regardless. The sphere of blue light spun into existence in Kyla’s grasp and then flew at Arya, seeking out and striking the Ninetales.

            Arya recoiled back, but was still in the fight. She then shouted, “For Mewtwo!” She then launched a continuous, roaring, stream of flame from her mouth. The Flamethrower collided head on with Kyla’s stomach.

            Kyla knew she could not stand many hits like that one. Arya had been fighting since before Kyla was born. Kyla then saw Arya bounding towards her, much to her surprise. Kyla smiled and then used the opportunity to launch a second Aura sphere into Arya. Much to Kyla’s disappointment, the Ninetales did not collapse from injury.

            Arya closed in on Kyla and then forced the Lucario to rapidly dodge the Fire Blast that had erupted from her mouth. Arya glared as she rushed past Kyla and then turned to face her opponent.

            Kyla knew that Arya was heavily weakened. However, she also knew that if that Fire Blast had connected, she would likely be down for the count. Then, suddenly, Kyla’s Aura sense flared up as she picked six auras, three on each side of them, coming closer fast. The newcomers had somehow just emerged within her range. That was not something Kyla was used to.

            Kyla held out her hands as to try and indicate a “time out.” She then shouted, “Arya, I just picked up six auras coming this way fast. I don’t know how they got here. They just showed…”

            Arya retorted, “Yeah right, I did not expect you to try such a silly trick… Wait…you were not kidding!”

            The six auras had burst through the trees and now three of them stood on each side of Kyla and Arya. The two females instinctively whirled around and stood back to back.

            The intruders were clearly not Pokémon. Four of them were wearing jet-black armor with armored black masks over their faces. Each pair of them stood in front of a hooded and robed figure dressed in light blue and white. The robed being closest to Arya was wearing heavy armor plates over parts of their robe. The one closer to Kyla was unarmored.

            Arya asked, “Could those be humans? But, that’s impossible! They have been extinct for centuries!”

            Kyla replied, “Whoever they are, they do not come in peace.”

            As Kyla finished her statement, she sensed a seventh new aura arriving and saw a new figure approaching. This one was not trying to hide from Kyla and Arya. The seventh figure was wearing a hooded dark green cloak over an elaborate, yet unarmored, white, dark green and gold outfit. He then threw back his hood revealing light skin, white hair and piecing red eyes.

            Arya stammered, “That… that has to be a human male. But how?”

            Kyla replied, “I sense strong feelings of self-importance coming from him….”

            At that point, the new arrival drew a pointed blackened stick that crackled with lighting. He spoke, in the Pokémon language, “I am Lord Thomas Arthus, Sorcerer General of the Logos Order and an heir to the great House Arthus of the continent Dalugon! My master has decreed that you two are to be taken into our custody. Resisting would not be ideal for you.”

            Arya shouted back, before Kyla could say anything, “We are in the middle of something. Trying to stop it would not be ideal for you!”

            Lord Arthus sighed and then said, “You are very lucky that we are to take you alive.” He then said something in an unknown language to the other figures that seemed like an order of some kind.

            The four black-armored humanoids each drew two long black baton-style weapons. The armored figure in the blue robe then stretched out a hand and a deafening blast of sound, accompanied by a flash of light blue light erupted over Kyla and Arya.

            The four black-armored humanoids charged at Kyla and Arya as the two females were dazed by the burst. Tom Arthus simply watched as Kyla and Arya were each struck with multiple blows from his minion’s truncheons.

            Arya was about to send out an Inferno of fire to blast her attackers when the unarmored robed figure raised a hand and Arya froze, her mind clouded by something.

            Kyla recovered from the blast of sound and light for long enough to bury her Metal Claws into one of her attackers. As they fell to the ground, a pulse of blue light from the one behind the sonic attack flew at the club-wielder and sealed his wounds enough to keep him barely alive and stable.

            Just as Arya was recovering, from the hooded figure’s power. Lord Arthus grinned and called out, “I guess it’s my turn now.” A blast of cold air flew from his hand and flash-froze Arya’s legs to the ground.

            Arya was forced to use her Inferno breath to free herself, unaffected by her own fire. However, she was still under attack from the armored figures now flanking her.

            Kyla wondered, “Are these humans, or whatever they are, using their own moves?” She realized that she had go to for the leader, hoping that taking him out would break the enemy’s morale and focus. Kyla used a kick to sweep out the nearest club-wielder’s legs and knock him over. She then charged at the man who called himself Tom Arthus.

            Kyla then sensed something that gave her pause at just the wrong time. Arya had been blasted by a bolt of lightning from the hooded figure attacking her and had finally collapsed. She was losing consciousness fast.

            Tom Arthus took advantage of Kyla’s brief distraction. As she closed in on him, she looked back at Arya. The mysterious man then conjured a large transparent sphere of energy and flung it at Kyla. The orb connected and Kyla was knocked to her hands and knees.

            As two of Lord Arthus’s servants closed in on Kyla, the Lucario began to black out. As Kyla fainted, she could only think, “Who are these guys? What could they possibly want with us?”

            Right before Kyla went unconscious, she heard Tom Arthus say, “Our master will be pleased. He requested that…” Kyla fainted before she heard the end of her enemy’s sentence.


	2. The Dungeon

            When Kyla woke up, she looked around and realized that she was in a barred cell with no windows facing the outside. The walls of the cell were a dark green color. She saw a small bed with a pillow on one wall. However, the room had no other furnishings.

            As she continued to regain consciousness, Kyla looked down and stiffened up. She soon realized that her arms were bound in front of her back in heavy restraints. The strange bonds concealed her arms below the elbows and were made of a silvery metal. The heavy cuffs had multiple keyholes and also had solid caps that covered the spikes on the backs of Kyla’s hands. Kyla’s movements were slowed down by her bonds. However, she managed to haul herself up.

            As Kyla stood up, she saw a single guard standing still just outside of her cell. He was most likely a human. The man was armed with a long blade and what appeared to be a revolver. Kyla quickly came to discover that her Aura Sense was suppressed. She thought, “These strange restraints must act as inhibitors. I am not breaking out of these without help.”

            Kyla then looked over at the guard more carefully and saw that he had skin of a similar color to Tom Arthus, the leader of the group that had captured her and presumably Arya. His armor was a dark green color, not black. However, his armor’s design was similar to the armor of the soldiers who had participated in Kyla’s abduction.

            As Kyla fully awoke, the guard still payed her no heed other than a brief glance. Her mind then began to race as she fully realized that she had no idea where she was, she was a helpless captive of enemies with unclear intentions. More importantly, her family and friends were probably worried sick, assuming they had realized that she had disappeared. The note she had left her family would not explain this situation.  

            As much as it was in Kyla’s nature to be defiant, she knew that this Tom Arthus and his followers held all the cards for the moment. She knew she would have to try and bargain with her captors if she were to have any hope of freedom, and seeing her loved ones again.

            Kyla cautiously waked up to the bars of her cell and said to the guard, “Hello? I do not know why I am here. I know that you must work for someone named Tom Arthus? Please, I need to speak with someone. I have a family and I have not wronged any of your people…”

            The guard did not respond. However, he placed one of his hands on the hilt of his sword.

            Kyla realized that the guard probably did not even understand her words. She reluctantly backed up a bit and he withdrew his hand from the blade’s hilt.

            Kyla sat down on the floor of her cell. She was desperately trying to think of what could possibly be going on. She occasionally saw another armored guard pass by the one standing watch over her cell. Some of them were men, some were women. One man had looked much shorter and broader than a human ought to be. One woman had had long-pointed ears, but looked otherwise like the old pictures Kyla had seen of humans. When the soldiers occasionally conversed, albeit briefly, they did so in a language Kyla did not know. This reinforced her theory that her cell’s guard did not even understand her attempt to communicate with him.

            Kyla sat for what felt like a couple of hours. No one came to retrieve her from her imprisonment. In the time she spent in her cell, Kyla began to grow more hostile towards her mysterious captors. Whoever, these people were, they had gone out of her way to kidnap her and lock her up in this place. They clearly did not care about her rights, or the rights of those close to her. Arya was currently not Kyla’s focus. She did not know where the Ninetales was. Besides, Arya was indirectly at fault for this whole mess. If it were not for her challenge of a duel, Kyla would not have been in a position to be so easily kidnapped.

            Once again, Kyla heard more footsteps. However, this time she saw a blond-haired female guard also with a revolver pistol and a longsword at her belt marching a human girl in front of her. The human captive was wearing a tan shirt and black pants with brown boots. She had beautiful long jet-black hair and a slightly-rounded face. The black-haired girl was gagged with a piece of tight white cloth and her hands were cuffed behind her back with more-conventional-looking light metal handcuffs.

            The new arrivals stopped in front of Kyla’s cell and the two guards talked briefly. Then, the female guard began to march her prisoner towards the cell across from Kyla’s.

            Kyla wondered who the human captive was. As she stood up to observe the scene, the guard in front of her cell turned his head to check on her.

            All of the sudden, the female guard drew her blade in one swift motion and lunged across the hall. It was mere seconds until the surprised male guard had his throat slit in one fluid cut. As that all happened, Kyla saw the blond young woman’s armor seem to disintegrate, revealing a light blue colored uniform with orange stripes on its armored plates.

The blond girl grimaced as she saw her victim hit the floor, dead. She then took out some keys and rapidly unlocked the black-haired girl’s handcuffs.

            The black-haired girl removed her own gag and then grinned, saying something to her former captor.

            Kyla quickly realized that these two girls were enemies of her captors. Perhaps they could provide her with an avenue of escape? They could be her only chance at freedom? She rushed up to the bars of her cell and said, “Hello? If you are an enemy of Tom Arthus, then I can help you.”

            After she spoke, Kyla realized that her potential rescuers likely did not speak her language. However, she had clearly gotten the two girls’ attention.

            The black-haired girl thought for a brief moment. She then waved a hand in an arc. Her hand and Kyla both glowed for a moment. Then, the black-haired girl asked Kyla, “Can you understand me?”

            Kyla had no idea what was going on. However, she did understand the young woman now. She replied, “Yes I can. Whoever you two are, I need your help. I was kidnapped by someone named Tom Arthus and his soldiers and taken here. I have no idea what he wants with me. I have a family that I need to get back to. I am willing to help you with whatever you are trying to do here. Just get me out of here, please.”

            The blond girl began searching the guard. She said, “You were right, Elena, the Logos Order is certainly up to no good. If Lord Arthus is abducting beings from other dimensions, then were need to inform the authorities in Terranor about this.”

            Elena, the black-haired girl, asked Kyla, “What is your name?”

            Kyla quickly replied, “My name is Kyla and all that I ask of you is that you do not just leave me here.”

            Elena, thought for a moment, as her friend stood back up. She then said, “I wonder if they kidnapped you for research purposes… They might be planning to dissect you?”

            Kyla was horrified. She quickly replied, “Tom Arthus said that I was needed alive. However, maybe there is some other reason that I was no good to them dead?”

            The blonde young woman interjected, as she produced a key she had looted from the guard and opened the door to Kyla’s cell, “That does not change the fact that they might be planning on killing you. I do not even know what exactly you are, but rest assured that I am not going to leave you here alone. Also, my name is Juliana Carlton, Junior Priestess of the United Church of God.”

            Elena smirked, “One of the last, I might add. By the way, my name is Elena Joland… student at the Agharta Academy of Magic.”

            Juliana walked over to Kyla and told her, “Hold still, I could not find keys to your restraints.” Juliana’s eyes flashed with purple light and then she placed her gloved hands on Kyla’s bonds. A blast of purple fire tore through Kyla’s restraints, weakening them considerably. Juliana then channeled a second, weaker, blast of energy and Kyla’s cuffs fell off of her entirely.

            Kyla rubbed her wrists and lower arms while smiled over at the two young women. She then thought, “At least there are some good people in this strange world.” Kyla told her rescuers, “Thank you for this, I cannot say how much I appreciate your help.”

            Elena then replied, “We will get you home, Kyla. However, first we need to obtain what the two of us came here for. Actually, the item I intend to steal from this tower will probably be the key to getting you home.”

            Kyla’s Aura Sense was now functioning again. She could sense something powerful and otherworldly in both of the girls’ auras. The strange feelings she got from Elena were not the same as the ones she got from Juliana, however. She also remembered that Tom Arthus and his two robed minions had also possessed strange auras.

            Elena continued, as Kyla followed Juliana out of the cell, “Before we go after our objective, we need to retrieve my things that were confiscated when I was ‘captured.’” Elena pointed to Kyla’s left as she finished her statement.

            Kyla replied, “I understand. For now, I will have to trust the two of you. By the way, this will probably not help me much. But, where are we?”

            Elena smiled and rattled off in reply, “We are in the dungeon of the House Arthus North Arcane Tower on the continent Dalugon on the planet Austean. …And the year is A.C. 1910.”

            Kyla admitted, “That does not help me much. I do not even know why you numbered the year?” Kyla then stopped, as she sensed a trio of auras making their way towards the dark-green painted chamber of cells. They would likely soon be at the door to Kyla’s right.

            Kyla pointed in the direction of the incoming auras and told her rescuers, “There are three guards coming from that way. We should prepare to engage them.”

            Elena and Juliana raised their eyebrows as Kyla said, “You will hear them soon enough. You two need to trust me.”

            Elena nodded and then took cover just inside of Kyla’s cell. Kyla then took cover behind a small table in the hallway and Juliana pulled a large, rectangular, metal shield with a glass visor from her back and readied her blade in her other hand.

            It was not long until Kyla could hear the trio of guards. Soon, the door opened and one woman and two men began to enter the chamber.

            Juliana pointed her sword at the soldiers and they all stopped. They looked shocked to see a uniformed intruder in the dungeon. Elena then popped out and made a rapid gesture.

            A portion of the wall quietly burst open and buried the guard in the back of the trio. Juliana’s longsword was then sheathed in purple fire, which she sent flying into the other man, slicing through his chest and killing him easily.

            Kyla leapt over the table and then, as the female guard drew her rifle, charged forward. Kyla then buried her metal claws in the woman’s abdomen before she could fire a single shot.

            After she retracted her claws and her dying foe collapsed to the ground, Kyla sensed her victim’s aura fading and disappearing. Kyla sighed and then thought, “Sorry, but I have a family and a home to get back to. I will see them again and I won’t let anyone stand in my way.”

            Kyla then turned to Elena and Juliana. She said, “Let’s get your things, Elena. Maybe you can fill me on what is going on here why we take care of that?”

            Elena smiled and replied, “You have impressed me already, Kyla. I would love to learn how you detected those guards coming.”

            Kyla pointed to her aura sensing organs and said, “These let me sense the auras of living creatures. I can even sense yours. Not everyone from my world can do that, though, only my species.”

            Juliana interrupted, “We can discuss this more once we are somewhere safer. For now, we have a mission to accomplish. And Elena, remember that we are even after this. My debt to you will have been repaid.”

            Elena nodded in understanding, as Kyla wondered what Juliana had meant. The trio then walked over towards the guard room where Elena had indicated her confiscated possessions were being kept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rather than bring in elements directly from Sacred Wars: Tales of Austean, I decided that I would use the same fantasy world I created for that story, but set this story an entire century and a half later. This story actually comes after my potential sequel concept for Tales of Austean in terms of the timeline. If I do get around to writing that sequel, it will be in the strange position of being both a sequel and a prequel.


	3. The Guard Room

            Kyla was walking towards the guard room of the House Arthus North Arcane Tower’s dungeon. With her were her recent rescuers, the human girls Elena Joland and Juliana Carlton. Kyla had just heard a mention that Juliana was helping Elena in order to repay a debt she owed her. However, she could sense in the two young women’s auras that they did care for each other. Their relationship was far from purely transactional. While Kyla was interested in learning the nature of Juliana’s debt to Elena, she had more important concerns on her mind at the moment. They included: escaping the tower, returning to her home world and learning more about her abductors and why exactly she had been kidnapped in the first place.

            As they neared the metal door to where Elena had said her confiscated possessions were being kept, Kyla decided to ask, “You two mentioned both the House Arthus and the Logos Order. What is the difference between those two organizations? It sounded like Tom Arthus was involved with both of them in some capacity?”

            Elena, who seemed to enjoy rattling off information, replied, “The House Arthus is a human noble house of draconic descent that holds significant power on this continent, Dalugon. Thomas Arthus, one of the scions of that house, has recently risen rapidly in the ranks of the Logos Order. The Logos Order is a cult-like religious sect that we honestly don’t know much about. They wear light blue and white robes and refer to the object of their worship in male terms and call him their ‘master.’”

            Juliana added, “One of the reasons I came with Elena for this heist was to learn more about the Logos Order and see if they were up to no good. I think we can now confirm that they are, in fact, engaging in acts of evil.”

            Kyla noted that Juliana seemed very moralistic. She was clearly focused on helping others. At the same time, she did not seem naïve, or blind to the evils others could commit.

            Elena then snapped Kyla out of her thoughts by asking, “Kyla, could you use your senses to scan the room ahead of us? I want to know how many enemies are in there and if they have any idea we are here.”

            Kyla nodded and focused her Aura Sense into the room directly ahead of them. She told her new companions, “I sense five enemies in there. They don’t seem to be on high alert, yet. I am not sure how we will get in there without risking someone getting away to alert more guards. The door is shut, and at least one of the five could possibly get away if we charge in there.”

            Elena thought for a moment and then replied, “I have an idea, even though it will require one of the guards to open the door. Kyla, just like I could use a spell to disguise Juliana’s armor. I can do this for you…”

            Elena tapped on Kyla’s shoulder and suddenly Kyla realized that her hands and arms were now visible only as outlines.

            Elena then continued, “Juliana and I will take cover. If one of them opens the door, you can sneak in invisibly and try to take out as many guards as you can when you feel the time is right. Make sure that none of them escape. I think that you will be easier to sneak in there, since you do not wear armor like Juliana does. Just be warned, the spell will wear off soon after you attack. Be sure to choose your timing wisely.”

            Kyla replied, “I will do my best.” She then crept closer to the door as her companions found places to hide.

            It was not long until Kyla sensed one of the five auras nearing the door. A male guard opened the door and began walking down the hallway, towards where Elena and Juliana were taking cover. Kyla rapidly slipped, undetected, through the door and found herself on the other side as it closed behind her.

            Kyla now saw four House Arthus soldiers, two female and two male, standing in the room.

            It was not long until one of the male soldiers told one of the women, “Sergeant, that patrol still has not checked in. Neither has Private Greely. What do you make of that?”

            The sergeant thought for a brief moment, as Kyla made sure to stay quiet. She then replied, “You are right, Corporal. We should go and check it out. Stay in close formation and keep your eyes peeled.”

            The four guards formed up into two rows or two. The front rank drew swords and metal shields. The back ranks drew carbine rifles. Kyla had learned enough from her Guild comrades back home to know the basics of human weaponry. Her middle child and only son, Rico, had told the family quite a bit about how firearms worked. Kyla had also manned an aircraft-mounted heavy machine gun once during the final assault on the Imperium. Kyla was actually quite fascinated by human firearms. However, she had more important concerns than research at the moment.

            As the four House Arthus guards were about to exit the room in their formation, Kyla thought, “This is my chance! I should have a new trick that will make this quick and easy.”

            Kyla slipped between the front and back ranks of guards just as the guard sergeant opened the door and saw the dead body of Private Greely, who had likely been disposed of by Elena and Juliana. Kyla then detonated a blast of energy around her body, a Dragon Pulse.

            The four guards were not even able to scream as they were nearly disintegrated by the sudden high-power blast of energy. All four of them were slain in an instant.

            Elena and Juliana emerged from cover soon after the guards has been eliminated. Juliana commented, “That explains why they were keeping Kyla in anti-magic restraints. She could have escaped with ease otherwise.”

            Elena smiled and told Kyla, “I like you, I am still not sure what exactly you are. But, you know what you’re doing and I respect that.”

            As the trio entered the guard room, Kyla replied, “A Lucario is what I am. As for knowing what I’m doing, I was a successful professional adventurer and fought in both a major war and a worldwide crisis. This is far from my first time in a dangerous situation.”

            Elena nodded at Kyla and then went over to a series or lockers and began to rummage through them.

            As Kyla used her Aura Sense to ensure that no other guards were nearby, she asked Elena, “Now that you know that I can pull my weight, what are you here to steal from the House Arthus? You said that it might be the way to get me home. It has to be very valuable if you faked being captured and risked your life for the chance to steal it.”

            Elena replied, as she found a belt with a semi-automatic pistol and a knife holstered on it and began to put it on, “We are here to steal a DWD, or Dimensional Warp Device. The DWD is a magical item that the House Arthus has been developing, probably in conjunction with the Logos Order. According to my earlier research, a lab in this very tower has been the main production location for the DWDs. The device is apparently very compact, powered by arcane energy, which I can supply, and allows the user to safely move between separate dimensions. That is why it will help us get you home.”

            Kyla then asked, as Elena secured her belt, found her backpack and began to put in on, “Why do YOU want this Dimensional Warp Device?”

            Elena replied, “My spells come from my contacting spirit entities that live in a world separate, but still closely linked, with Austean, this world. Over the last year, I have been experiencing dreams in which a powerful spirit has been beckoning me to her. I cannot figure out for what purpose. However, I have learned that she does not exist in the same world as the spirits I normally commune with. Therefore, I began to research a way to reach this powerful being. That was how I learned about the House Arthus’s DWD project. However, I was denied access to it through peaceful academic channels multiple times. I came here to steal a DWD and see if I can use it to access the dimension where the spirit who has been calling out to me lives. Also, it does seem that Tom Arthus has been using the DWDs for nefarious purposes, as demonstrated by your kidnapping. So, once we steal a DWD, we will need to spread the word of the threat posed by the Logos Order across Austean.”

            As Elena was searching for one more thing, Kyla did her best to process what she had been told. It seemed like Elena was very much like her, rarely taking no for an answer. Elena then smiled and pulled out a gold-plate choker necklace with a ruby in the center of it.

As Elena put her necklace on and Juliana smiled at her, Kyla asked, “Does that necklace have some sort of supernatural power?”

            Elena laughed, shook her head and told Kyla, “No, it does not. It was a gift from my father, given to me before I was…”

            Elena trailed off as Kyla mentioned, “Oddly enough, I was given a necklace by my father as well. However, he has been dead for years. I saw him die…”

            As Kyla trailed off, Juliana awkwardly mentioned to her, “Just when I was about to ask you about your family…”

            Elena then mentioned, “Those House Arthus bastards were probably going to sell my necklace, or give it to some important member of their family. Regardless, I have what I need. We should get to an elevator and make our way to the lab where the DWDs are being developed.”

            Kyla nodded as the trio left the guard room. Juliana made sure to bar the door on the opposite side of the room before they left.

            As Kyla, Elena and Juliana made their way to where Elena believed there would be an elevator, Kyla decided that she could not suppress her curiosity any longer. She asked her companions, “What was the deal with the debt that was mentioned earlier?”

            Juliana replied, “Elena saved my life three years ago. She did not have to, but she did. Even my own family wanted me dead at that time. But, Elena was able to prevent my death. Now I have a new, adoptive, family and a new home. That would not have been possible without Elena’s intervention.”

            Kyla sensed a deep bond between the two young women once again as Elena awkwardly blushed. That proved what Kyla had postulated before. The debt Juliana owed Elena was not the only basis for the two young women working together.

            Elena then mentioned, “I would do it again if the need came up, and I am sure that Juliana would do the same for me. We have been friends for years…despite our occasional bickering. Kyla, we will try to explain more when we have time.”

            Juliana added, “There are certainly things we would like to know about you as well. For example, what that badge on your chest represents. However, we need to focus on the task at hand for now.”

            As the trio neared a place where the path branched out into two separate hallways, Kyla mentioned, “The badge on my chest signifies my service in an adventurers’ guild when I was younger. My two oldest children have also worked for the…” Kyla stopped talking as her Aura Sense focused in and picked something familiar up.

            Elena perceptively asked Kyla, “What did you just sense?”

            Kyla sighed deeply and replied, “Someone I know is just up ahead. She is accompanied by four guards. We should go and rescue here before they get too far away.”

            As Elena and Juliana followed Kyla down the left passageway, Juliana asked, “You never mentioned that you were captured with someone else. Is this person as friend of yours?”

            Kyla nodded no and replied, “No, far from it to be honest. However, if she is in danger of being dissected by this Logos Order, then we need to save her.”

            Juliana nodded in agreement. Elena then drew her pistol and took her position just behind Kyla and Juliana.

            The trio found themselves in a hallway leading to what Elena identified as an elevator door. They saw four House Arthus soldiers escorting a captive Arya, who was wearing a metal collar around her neck, but no other restraints. Seeing enemies coming at them from the rear, the two guards behind Arya whirled around. Arya and the two guards in front of her did the same thing.

            Arya shouted, “Kyla?”

            Kyla charged up an Aura Sphere. She was no friend of Arya’s. However, she knew that the Ninetales did not deserve to die here. Hopefully, Arya would be grateful towards Kyla and her new companions for saving her from the House Arthus.


	4. Escape from the Tower

            Kyla, Elena and Juliana had just confronted four House Arthus soldiers who were escorting a captive Arya towards a nearby elevator door. The surprised guard squad quickly prepared to attack the interlopers.

            Elena acted first, she made a series of gestures that led to a swarm of translucent fireworks of energy erupting from her hand. The seeking projectiles bombarded one of the front-rank guards from all sides and she quickly collapsed unconscious.

            Juliana rushed the other guard standing in front of Arya. Her longsword was sheathed in purple flames as her eyes flashed purple. Juliana bashed her foe with her shield and then sliced into him with her sword. Now, half of the guards escorting Arya were down.

            Kyla fired the Aura Sphere she had been charging up at one of the guards behind Arya. As Kyla charged in behind Juliana, the blue orb sought out its target and tore through his chest, killing him in one shot.

            The final guard, seeming clearly panicked, raised his rifle to take aim at his attackers. However, Arya swung her tails at him. Arya’s tails distracted the soldier and knocked him back a bit and off balance.

            Kyla then charged past Arya, as Elena and Juliana regrouped. Kyla then pummeled the final guard with both of her fists. The barrage of strikes exhausted Kyla, but it did the job and the bludgeoned soldier collapsed before he could open fire.  

            As Juliana walked up to Arya and Elena cast her translation spell on the Ninetales, Arya asked Kyla, “You…came to save me? Were you captured as well? Who are these two girls?”

            Kyla replied, “I guess my better nature got the better of me. I was captured, but these two rescued me from my cell. I only realized you were here recently. I should have been more careful with my scanning.”

            Elena added, “Kyla said you were no friend of hers. However, she knew that you were in danger of being dissected by the Logos Order and she did not want you to suffer that fate.”

            Arya was clearly confused that Elena was able to communicate with her. Before she could say anything, Juliana told her, “Hold still.” Juliana then grabbed Arya’s collar and caused the metal ring to crumble with a small pulse of purple light.

            Arya looked even more confused and told Elena and Juliana, “You will have to fill me in later. Kyla is correct in that the two of us are not friends, or allies. However, all three of you still came to save me and I owe you for that, regardless of what these people were planning to do with me. With that collar off, I promise that I can pull my weight in any fight we run up against. Now, why did you two come to this place anyway?”

            Kyla knew that Arya’s fiery attacks and combat experience would be a real asset to the group. That had admittedly been one of the reasons she had known that rescuing Arya would be worth the risk involved. She also assumed that the collar that had recently adorned Arya’s neck had been “anti-magic.” Meaning that it had inhibited Arya’s powers, making her unable to seriously resist her captors.

            Kyla then told Arya, “These two came to steal an item of incredible power. They have told me that it has the capability to move the user through different dimensions. It may be our only way back home.”

            Arya raised an eyebrow at the idea that Elena and Juliana had come to steal something. However, she replied, “I see, well that explains how that Tom Arthus man reached our world in the first place. Honestly, I really never thought I would meet even one human in the flesh. As for our current situation, seeing as though I have a friend and a job I need to return to in Semberta Town, I will come with you three. However, Kyla, I intend to finish our duel once this is over. Otherwise, you can count on my support for the duration of this conflict.”

            Elena then said, “Duel? The plot thickens. Regardless, we can talk after we are out this tower safely. By the way, my name is Elena Joland.”

            Juliana chimed in, “Juliana Carlton. Also, I know that being abducted is far from the greatest way to first visit a place, but welcome to the planet Austean. I can assure you that there are nicer parts of this world.”

            Elena darkly added, “And possibly worse ones. Like where Juliana and I grew up… anyway, we should call the elevator now. We have a lab to raid.”

            Kyla and Arya both raised eyebrows as Elena walked up to elevator and pressed a button. When the lift arrived, the foursome boarded it and Elena looked over a panel of buttons. She then pressed one and announced, “Going up!”

            Juliana told Kyla, as the lift began to travel upward, “You should scan ahead with your Aura Sense. We want to remain undetected for as long as possible. We need to be ready for anyone waiting on the other side of the elevator door when we reach our destination.”

            When the lift ground to a halt, Kyla announced, “I sense six auras just down the hall. They seem calm for now. Three of them are… different, sort of like Elena’s aura.”

            The group of four disembarked from the elevator and then saw a short hallway leading to a solid, locked metal door. All six of the auras Kyla had sensed were just behind the door.

            Elena said, “The lab should be just behind that door. We need to get in there and quickly dispatch everyone inside. From what Kyla just told us, three of them are arcanists. That is pretty much what I would expect, to be honest.”

            Kyla added, “Two of the non-arcanist auras are guarding the door on the other side. The other one seems to be patrolling the room.”

            Elena then shot out a hand and projected her palm outwards. A series of hexagons of force began to surround her, moving with her as she walked. Elena then began to charge up what looked like a lightning bolt in her hands. Juliana sheathed her sword in purple fire and then summoned a series of plates of force around her armor, creating an extra layer of protection.

            As the foursome neared the door, Elena announced, “I am as ready as I will ever be and so is Juliana. Now, how do we bust this heavy door down quickly?”

            Arya stepped forward and smiled. She then said, “Leave that to me. Be ready to move in once I get the door out of the way.”

            Kyla and Juliana took up positions flanking Arya, as Elena readied her pistol and lightning bolt. Arya then breathed in deeply and summoned a torrent of fire using her Inferno move. The flaming blast tore through the hallway and then blew the armored door clean off of its hinges and into the lab.

            Elena shouted, “Go, Go. Go!” The entire group then charged in as the smoke cleared.

            Kyla noticed that the lab was filled with various strange machines, glowing crystals and vials, among other things. Three of the surprised occupants of the lab were wearing white and gold colored uniform shirts with dark green pants. Along with them was a heavily-armored House Arthus soldier, who began to ready a large two-handed firearm as the intruders burst in.

            With Elena and Arya right behind them, Kyla and Juliana rushed in to the room and saw that the two guards at the door were still coughing from Arya’s earlier attack. Kyla buried her Metal Claws in one of them and Juliana decapitated the other one with her energized longsword.

            The armored soldier raised his weapon and a stream of bullets flew at Juliana. Fortunately, her defensive spell, her heavy armor and her ballistics shield protected her from the barrage.

            Elena threw her lightning bolt at heavily armored guard and he was struck and electrocuted. His armor did not offer much protection from the supernatural attack.

            The two arcanists closer to the door then reacted. One of them conjured up a force shield, as the other one lobbed a sphere of fire at Kyla.

            Kyla dodged the flaming orb narrowly and then charged the unprotected arcanist. After leaping over a table, Kyla extended her Metal Claws and sliced her target’s throat, ending him quickly.

            The arcanist who had just projected a force shield on himself found himself in Arya’s sights. Arya breathed a flamethrower at her foe and shattered his spell with the beam of fire. Elena then gunned down the enemy spellcaster with her pistol. She was not wasting any magic on the now unprotected opponent.

            The final arcanist put a device that looked like a silvery-white arm gauntlet crackling with pink-purple sparks down on the table in front of him. He then clapped his hands together and a sound akin to a loud siren blared through the vicinity.

            Juliana rapidly sheathed her longsword and drew her revolver. She then shot the enemy arcanist in the head before he could duck.

            With all six enemies down, Elena ran toward the device the last arcanist had been working on, grabbed it in her right hand and slapped it onto her left arm. She shouted at her allies, “We cleared the room, but the last arcanist sounded the alarm. Someone else had to have heard that noise. They will be coming to investigate soon. I will admit that I was already not sure how we were to escape after retrieving this device. However, what matters now is that you three need to weather the counterattack until I can get a portal open with this Dimensional Warp Device.”

            Kyla noticed two other doors leading into the room, one of her right and one on her left. She also began to sense several auras heading in their direction. Some came from one side, some from the other.

Juliana readied her heavy shield and stood in the middle of the room as Elena took cover behind the table the DWD had been sitting on. Elena shouted, “Everyone get ready! I will get the portal open as soon as I can. I am sorry about this, but this is the best way for all of us to escape here safely.”

Kyla shouted, “I sense four Auras coming from the right and three on the left. One of the ones on the left feels like one of the robed figures that helped kidnap Arya and I. It’s not an arcanist!”

Juliana explained, “It must be a Logos Order chaplain.”

Arya shouted, “I will cover our right flank. We should be careful of enemies coming from the elevator as well.”

Kyla mentioned, “I will cover the left flank then.”

As the seven enemies were about to break into the lab, Elena shouted, “Be careful of using big blasts of fire in here. Who knows what magical component you might set off? Also, take cover as best as you can. They will be ready to shoot now that they are on high alert.”

The door on the right side flew open and four House Arthus soldiers stood there, weapons drawn. As bullets from rifles flew into the room, Arya shouted, “Thankfully, I have way of dealing with these guys without using fire.”

Arya’s eyes lit up and a cone of Extrasensory psychic energy lit up the four soldiers. The enemies clutched their heads in pain as they bled from their ears and noses. They all collapsed soon afterwards. 

Then, Kyla saw two House Arthus troops and an armored, light-blue robed figure burst into the room from the left side door. Juliana was ready for them and she summoned a burst of purple light, accompanied by a loud clang of sound which stunned the two soldiers.

Kyla followed up by launching an Aura Sphere into the head of the Logos Order Chaplain. She knew that he could likely heal his comrades or stun her group based on her previous experience.

As the Chaplain dropped dead, Kyla rushed in and dispatched the pair of stunned and deafened guards with Metal Claw shanks. Arya’s Extrasensory attack having cleared their other flank.

At that point Kyla sensed more and more auras coming from the lower floors. Four other auras, including one she recognized as Tom Arthus, were coming from above using the elevator. Kyla called out, as she returned to cover, “Lord Arthus is headed our way from the elevator! His forces are also gathering downstairs.”

Elena shouted back, “This device seems pre-loaded with a few coordinates. They all seem to lead to a world with a Logos Order base or operation somewhere on it, though. Once I figure out how to trigger a portal, I will get one open! Annoyingly enough, this device was designed to be hard to use for the uninitiated.”

            Arya replied, “We cannot hold out here forever. I remember how dangerous Thomas Arthus is. We might not stand a chance against him in an open fight. That goes double if he has backup.”

            Kyla shouted, “The elevator is here. The troops below us are also moving up the stairs. They will be here within a few minutes!”

            At that point, the elevator opened and a hulking blonde-haired human man wearing ornate dark green plate armor and carrying a huge greatsword advanced in followed by two of the black-armored soldiers who helped kidnap Kyla and Arya before. Both of the black-clad elites were aiming their rifles and looked ready to fire. Behind them was Tom Arthus, who quickly projected a multi-layered force shield around himself.

            When the new arrivals burst into the room, Tom saw Elena covering behind the table and called out, “Elena Joland, we meet again. You could not take no for an answer and now you will die for your foolishness. Kill the humans and secure the extradimensional beings!”

            Kyla called out, “I will not allow myself to be recaptured!” She then fired an Aura Sphere into one of the elite soldiers, killing him instantly.

            Arya fired a second extrasensory blast off at the hulking warrior, as the sound of over a dozen soldiers heading up towards the lab could be heard. She then took a rifle shot to a leg from the other soldier.

            Juliana projected a beam of purple fire from her sword and eliminated the soldier who had harmed Arya. However, the man in the ornate armor was still standing. He then began to advance on Juliana.

            As Kyla sensed the House Arthus reinforcements closing in from both of the other doors, Tom ordered his bodyguard, “Marcus, kill the chaplain! Her false god will do her no good in the end!” Tom then fired three rays of fire at Kyla. One missed her, one struck her in the chest and one struck her in the leg.

            Kyla clutched her burning wounds as Juliana rushed back away from the advancing brute. Arya then blasted a squad of incoming House Arthus troops with an Inferno, not caring about what she set off anymore.

Arya then fell back towards Elena, despite her wounded leg, shouting, “We need that portal now!”

Juliana conjured up purple energy from her shield hand and healed Kyla’s wounds. Kyla stood up and fired an Aura Sphere at the advancing Marcus. However, he withstood the ball of energy and was only briefly slowed down by the attack.

Elena then stood up and told Tom, “You are right about the false god thing. However, I have no intention of dying today and neither does Juliana!”

Elena then grinned, stuck out her middle finger at Tom and then tapped a spot of shimmering purple energy that was radiating off of the DWD.

A purple tear in reality ripped open, leading out into some sort of countryside with smoke in the distance. With bullets from the advancing House Arthus soldiers flying past her and bouncing off of her force shield, Elena jumped through the portal and called out, “Full retreat! I will close this once we are all through!”

Even while injured, Arya was quite fast on her four legs. The vulpine jumped through the portal after Elena with bullets flying past her left and right.

Kyla saw Marcus about to bring his enormous sword down on Juliana, she jumped forward and pummeled him with strikes. Marcus took a barrage of force missiles from Elena and stumbled backwards.

Kyla shouted “Run!” to Juliana. She then charged the portal as Arya covered her with a flamethrower aimed at Tom.

Tom’s multi-layered force shield was badly weakened, as Kyla jumped through the portal. However, he fired conjured a massive sphere of fire and threw it at Juliana.

As Marcus stepped out of the way of the incoming flaming orb, Juliana threw herself at the portal, shouting back at Tom, “You and your cult will fail, just you wait!”

Juliana ran through the portal and Elena slammed her hand into the radiant energy around the DWD. The porta closed just before the fiery orb could reach it.

As Juliana healed Arya, Kyla breathed a sigh of relief. She then looked around, wondering where she and the others were. As she looked up at this new world’s sun in the sky, she thought, “Hopefully, I am one big step closer to getting home. First, we need to figure out where we are and what our next move is.”


	5. Europa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor Note: Potential spoilers for Valkyia Chronicles III and the series as a whole. Like I said before, VC3 has not been officially released in the west, unlike the other games in the series. My appropriation of elements from it for this story comes from personal research into the game over multiple years. Anyway, thank you to anyone reading this story so far. I hope that you continue to enjoy it.

            Kyla was standing on a small hilltop looking over a vast countryside in a foreign dimension. Standing nearby her were Elena, Juliana and Arya.

            Juliana, who had just finished channeling a small burst of purple light to heal Arya’s leg, looked over at her old friend Elena and asked her, “Well, we are in another dimension for all that we know. Now, I am farther away from my family. …What’s the plan now?”

            Elena tried to give Juliana a reassuring look and then told the group, “Of course I have a plan. …Well, what I have is really more a list of objectives. We ultimately need to find a safe and defensible place where I can figure out how to properly use the Dimensional Warp Device in peace. As of now, it is low on the arcane energy it needs to function. Thankfully, even though it will take time and drain me a bit, I can recharge it with my own power. In the meantime, we need to obtain some supplies, including food, and find a place to make a camp before the sun sets. We should also see if we can find an intelligent being to make peaceful contact with, so that we can learn where we are. All that the DWD is telling me is that we are somewhere in the ‘East Europan Imperial Alliance.’”

            Arya mentioned, “You know, we sure got lucky that the DWD opened a portal here rather than, outer space, the bottom of an ocean, a volcano, underground, etcetera.”

            Elena replied, “You should give the famed arcanists of the House Arthus more credit, even though they are our enemies at the moment. I leaned in my early research that the DWDs were meticulously programmed so that it would default to opening a portal on solid ground in a world with a breathable atmosphere. Also, we know that the Logos Order is either operating somewhere on this planet, or did have an operation here. Otherwise, it would have taken a lot longer to get that portal open.”

            Juliana then suggested, “Kyla, since we are trying to find someone to talk to, you should scan this area with that Aura Sense of yours.”

            Kyla, who had been thinking about how she would explain this whole situation to her family when she hopefully returned home, snapped back into reality and then nodded. Kyla closed her eyes and mentally reached out with her Aura Sense. She scanned a considerable radius in all directions from the group’s position.

            When Kyla opened her eyes, she said, “I do not sense any normal auras. However, I do see two pillars of smoke on the horizon. One of them seems to be coming from a massive building of some kind. The other I cannot tell as easily. The weird thing is that the auras I did sense seemed…dim. They had no advanced emotions and seemed to be relying mainly on instinct.”

            Elena shrugged her shoulders and told Kyla, “You probably just sensed some animals. No people though.”

            Arya looked confused and asked, “Animals?”

            Juliana replied, “Yes, animals. Non-sentient life. Like horses, dogs, cats, birds and dinosaurs. You two honestly look kind of like canine animals, especially with Arya being on all fours. Wait… are all living creatures in your world sentient?”

            Kyla’s brain hurt, she then told Juliana, “I have heard aware of microorganisms and I know that insects exist. Those creatures are non-sentient. However, in Arya and I’s world, any creature bigger than a small insect is capable of intelligent thought. That even includes some insect-like creatures.”

            Arya added, “However, some of our kind completely squander their potential and act like feral beasts. We call them ‘wild.’ Those creatures are willing to hunt and eat other intelligent life, unlike civilized folks.”

            Elena then postulated, “You all must have never tasted meat then, despite your appearances. Even though you both look like carnivores, or at least omnivores, eating meat must seem like cannibalism to you.”

            Kyla and Arya both nodded. Then, Kyla suggested, “I guess that different dimensions have differences in how life developed? Despite the apparent commonness of humans, that is. On the subject of our next move, why don’t we check out the smoke coming from the less obvious location? We should be careful about attracting attention in case the Logos Order has agents in this area.”

            The other three nodded in agreement and then the foursome began to trek down the hill towards the place the smaller pillars of smoke were emanating from.

            As Kyla kept focusing on scanning the vicinity with her aura sense, Arya asked Juliana, “Lord Arthus mentioned something about a ‘false god.’ Elena actually seemed to agree with him on that front. What were they talking about?”

            Juliana gave Elena a quick preemptive glare and then explained to Arya, “As I told Kyla when we rescued her, I am a Junior Priestess of the United Church of God. My god gives their most loyal followers, their priesthood, the magical power of the purple flame. You have already seen much of what I can do with that divine power.”

            Elena then pointed out, “In the interest of accurate information, the UCG was exposed as a fraud twenty years ago. That was before Juliana and I were even born and long before we moved to Terranor, the home continent of the church.”

            Kyla was intrigued. The clergy of Arceus never seemed to have unique power separate from other Pokémon. However, Juliana clearly had powers that not even Elena could wield. Kyla asked, “How can a church that gives its clergy such power be a fraud?”

            Juliana sighed and explained, “The UCG made the mistake of claiming that our god was the true creator of Austean, our homeworld, for 130 years. The early priests of the church were a key part of a rebellion that overthrew the murderous, evil and ironically named Order of Light in 1760. However, following their taking the Order’s place as the dominant religious faith in Terranor, they were not honest about the true nature of the deity they worshipped. It was not until 1890, two years after Terranor helped win a major war against the Eulidian Empire, when the truth leaked out. A second Terranoran rebellion then overthrew the church, leaving it in the sorry state it is in today.”

            Elena then mentioned, “The ‘god’ of the UCG is actually just a powerful spirit, an amalgamation of souls who died unjustly. The amalgamate sent down its forces to aid the rebels fighting the Order of Light in the final days of that war. However, when the truth about its nature came out and second rebellion began, those celestial beings were nowhere to be found. When Juliana and I moved to Terranor from Eulidia, she was so desperate for a new faith that she joined the only one she could find, despite its derelict state.”

            Juliana told Elena, “You always called me weak for needing religion in my life. You know I could not go back to the Eulidian Church after they declared us to be demons. However, what about the spirits you gain your magic from?”

            Elena sternly replied, “I have told you this already, that is a purely transactional relationship. I inherited the gift of spirit calling from my mother. I would never prostrate myself before anyone! In the end, all organized religions are frauds as far as I am concerned.”

            Kyla felt compelled to say, “I would not go that far. My people have a god of our own, we call them Arceus. I once saw the first three children of Arceus, Dialga, Palkia and Giratina with my own eyes. Arya was also there, in fact. It was the only time before this whole mess that we fought on the same side.”

            Arya added, “I will admit that Kyla is right on that front. I never believed in Arceus for sure until I saw their first creations. I had been told that those beings were myths for years. However, the evidence ended up proving me wrong. Even then, I would not say that I am particularly religious myself.”

            Kyla said, “I go to church relatively with my family relatively frequently. The church in our home city was built by humans centuries ago. Ceremonies dedicated to the worship of Arceus still take place there to this day.”

            Elena, wanting to change the subject at this point as the foursome kept walking, asked, “That’s right, Arya mentioned never expecting to see a human earlier. However, she knew what humans were. What is the deal with that?”

            Kyla replied, “Humans in our world went extinct over 200 years ago. They had once formed a federation that peacefully governed the whole planet. However, concerns over the role and fate of Arya and I’s kind drove them into warring factions that ended up destroying each other in a massive civil war.”

            Arya added, “They used weapons capable of destroying entire cities to wipe themselves out. However, our kind survived and many of us tried to do what we could to rebuild. We have lived amongst human ruins for years.”

            Kyla noted that Arya was not talking about the Imperium, and their attempted use of a nuclear weapon, directly as of now. She also noted the concern in Elena and Juliana’s faces and auras when they heard about such powerful weaponry.

            Juliana stammered, “That sounds absolutely horrible, an entire world’s human population being wiped out in one apocalyptic war.”

            Elena added, “I have to agree. It seems like your world was populated by both humans and creatures like the two of you. Austean also has a reasonable diversity of sentient species. Other than humans we have the stocky dwarves and the long-lived light elves, which you two might have seen back in the Arcane Tower. We also have the subterranean deep elves, the fast and stealthy feloids, the hardy mountainfolk, the ancient and powerful dragons and more.”

            Kyla smiled at Elena and asked her, “You sure enjoy lecturing people. Why is that?”

            As the group continued to close in on the source of the smoke, Elena replied, “I was always an avid reader growing up. I consider myself to be an intellectual, to be honest. I have often considered a career in education, possibly history. While there are plenty of arcanists who teach magic on Austean, the way I access my magic was inherited by luck, not taught through study. To be fair, I have still had to study in order to hone my abilities. Also, some inborn magic users have made excellent instructors.”

            Kyla remembered that Elena had called herself a student at an academy of magic when she first introduced herself. She was pretty sure that Elena had mentioned the academy being located in a place called Agharta.

            It was not much longer before the group reached the outer fence of what looked like some sort of military installation. It was likely a supply base. Supply crates and defensive towers abounded. There were also a few large cranes, infantry barracks and a barbed wire fence encircling the area.

            As the group approached the fence, Kyla noted that she did not immediately sense any sentient auras in the area.

            Arya said, as the group looked the scene over, “This place looks abandoned. I think I can grant us a quick entrance again.”

            Arya used an Inferno to rapidly melt through a significant section of the fence. The hole made was easily big enough to allow the group to walk in to the base.

            As the group began to investigate the base, Kyla kept scanning for auras. Juliana then gasped as all four of them saw a large number of uniformed corpses scattered around the installation. Walking over to one of the bodies, Juliana flipped it over.

            The corpses were all wearing dark-colored black or red uniforms that looked like armored robes. Instead of helmets, they wore hoods over white masks that resembled skulls. The white masks all had three slits. When Juliana removed one of the masks, she saw a human man’s face. The man’s hair was purple in color, strangely enough.

            Kyla looked over the corpses and saw that they carried various firearms. A few of them were carrying swords and light shields. The corpses’ armor had varying degrees of gold-decorated plating.

            Elena mentioned, “It looks like this was a one-sided battle. These soldiers were just wiped out.”

            Juliana added, “It looks like they were likely all killed by conventional weaponry. I see only bullet and melee weapon wounds. A few bodies seemed burned by explosives or fire. I do not think any magic users or supernatural creatures were involved in this battle.”

            Arya then pointed out, “Another human-populated world, huh? That makes three so far, including mine. I am genuinely surprised how many of them there are.”

            Kyla said, as she walked over to an armored corpse and examined the sub-machine gun he had carried, “I guess that humans will probably never go truly extinct if they populate so many different dimensions…”

            Kyla’s comrades turned to her as she suddenly stopped talking. She had been examining the secondary barrel mounted below the SMG’s main body. Kyla exclaimed, “I think I’m picking up an aura. …it is very faint, though. Just barely clinging to life. Follow me!”

            Kyla ran off deeper into the base as Elena, Juliana and Arya followed her. Elena said, “This person could be our only lead as to what happened here and how we can find a safe place to camp.”

            Arya added, “We should probably loot this place while we can. These guys had to have had some food on them. Also, some of their weapons and other supplies could prove useful to us.”

            Juliana finished, “I will be ready to heal them. Just be prepared, they will probably have no idea who we are or what we want.”

            After a few minutes of running. The group reached an open area with more corpses. Kyla pointed to the only one among them who was not wearing a hood and mask. On the ground, there was a young, purple-haired, human man around Elena and Juliana’s age wearing an armored breastplate over a black military uniform. He was still clutching a small, round, shield in one hand. In his other hand was an impressive, ornate, red and gold greatsword.


	6. The Last Raven

            Kyla, Elena, Juliana and Arya were looking at the downed body of an armored young man with spiky purple hair. He was surrounded by yet more dead masked soldiers.

            As Juliana approached the young man, Arya mentioned, “That blade he’s holding bears a similar pattern to his scarf.”

            Elena added, “Regardless of who these people were, this guy is our only lead on this world now. We need to find out what he knows.”

            Kyla, who was still carrying the sub-machine gun she had looted earlier in one hand, then chimed in, “He had to have been one of the soldiers in the force that got wiped out here. His armor and weapon look unique, so maybe he was someone important in this unit?”

            Juliana concluded, as she bent over the young man and began to channel a powerful pulse of purple light, “The sun is getting lower in the sky, we will need to make a camp soon. At least we can find some supplies here. Hopefully, we can be gone before whoever attacked this base with no visible casualties comes back.”

            Juliana backed away from the young solider as her purple light began to erase his, obviously severe, wounds. Kyla felt his aura flaring up as the young man gripped the handle of his massive blade more tightly.

            The purple-haired soldier then shot up and, without even getting a clear look at Kyla and her allies, turned to look at the smoking structure that Kyla’s group had seen in the distance upon first arriving in this world.

            Elena cast her translation spell on the young man, as he was facing away from her. However, as Elena was about to say something to him, he shouted, “No…Captain Dahau!”

            The young man, without even stopping to think about why he had been suddenly healed, rushed off towards the smoking structure at top speed. He ran surprisingly fast for someone carrying a weapon as big as his was and who had probably spent the last few hours, if not longer, barely clinging to life.

            After recovering from their mutual shock, Elena indignantly said, “That was rude of him and after Juliana just saved his life to.”

            Arya suggested, “We better follow him at a distance. I have a feeling that he won’t be in the mood to talk until he reaches that smoking structure. Even then, I wonder if we should try and find someone else.”

            As the foursome took off at a fast walk to follow the soldier, Kyla, suggested, “We should come back here as soon as possible. Regardless of respect for the dead, we need supplies right now. We should loot what we need and then try to find somewhere secluded where Elena can recharge and decipher the DWD.”

            As the group made sure to stay within Aura Sense range of the soldier, Juliana added, “This place seems like a warzone to me. I do not know if the Logos Order is behind this. However, I still wish we had warped to somewhere more peaceful.”

            Kyla kept projecting her Aura Sense outward, as they walked closer to the destroyed structure. With the sky darkening, Kyla was worried about when she and her allies would be able to rest. Kyla also made sure to relay to her allies that the young man’s aura was filled with panic and worry, but also loyalty and devotion.

            Nearby some trees, within easy sight range of the burning structure, Kyla and her allies saw the young man having stopped. Kyla mentioned, “I am picking up a significant number of auras around the structure.”

            Juliana squinted a bit as she looked over at the building. She mentioned, “It looks like a significant number of armored figures are swarming the collapsed building. There are some vehicles with them. The vehicles and the figures look both well-armed and armored to me. I see cannon turrets atop the vehicles.”

            Arya added, “We should approach this guy with caution. He has his weapon drawn.”

            As the group carefully approached then young soldier, Kyla sensed a significant degree of pain, frustration and anger in his aura. Of course, what else would a soldier who had lost his entire unit feel?

The young man angrily muttered, “We could not hold them off. Those Nameless cowards broke through. They have to have defeated Captain Dahau. But how? Now, the Imperial Army is swarming the facility. Those damn Nameless must have left before the Imperials arrived.”

            The young man, gripped his sword in both hands and, with passion and determination in his voice, announced, “I will go in there and see the truth for myself. Even if I am spotted and fall to these Imperials, I will take as many of them with me as I can!”

            The young man looked more than ready to advance on the facility. However, Elena interrupted him by saying, “I think that you still have someone to say ‘Thank you’ to.”

            The young solider whirled around to face the foursome this time. He was holding his sword in both hands, with his light shield hanging off of one arm. He then staggered back when he got a good look at the four newcomers. He had clearly not even noticed them sneaking up on him due to his previous intense focus.

            Elena then continued, pointing at Juliana, “This young lady here saved your life. Now, I think you owe her, and the rest of us, so…”

            As Juliana blushed awkwardly, the soldier stammered, “Who… are you?” He then focused on Kyla and Arya and asked, “What are you?”

            Juliana the spoke up to say, “Elena is right, I did save your life. It seemed like you had been narrowly clinging to life for hours, or longer.”

            The soldier responded to Juliana, “You… look like a Gallian soldier, but your uniform has orange stripes instead of red and I have never seen a revolver like yours before.” He then seemed to realize something and continued, “I was almost dead, wasn’t I? I was felled in battle. But, then…wait… I did see you four before. Wait… none of this makes sense. I have to have died in that battle. I have to be dead, but still trapped in the material world. I still failed in my mission…”

            Elena was clearly getting somewhat fed up with the soldier. Arya then stepped forward and told the young man, “You are not dead. We are not spirits, or anything of the sort. Now, Juliana here did save your life at possibly the last moment. We know that this situation is strange and that you failed in whatever it was you were trying to do. However, you owe us the answers to some questions. After that, you can go avenge your captain.”

            The soldier looked stunned that Arya has spoken to him. Kyla then stepped forward and sighed. She looked the soldier in the eyes and told him, “As crazy as this sounds, we came here from another universe, a different dimension. We are in need of supplies and a safe place to make a camp. We would like to know how to get access to those things. Why don’t we start with a simple question, what is your name?”

            The soldier was still confused and unclear on what Kyla even was. His sword was now hanging from one of his hands with the blade resting on the ground. The young man then finally responded, “Zig… my name is Zig. I intend to learn what happened to my leader, Captain Dahau in that burning facility. My people need him and if he is gone, then I do not know what hope for independence we have left. Whatever and whoever you all are, I can tell you that the ruins of a bombed-out farm lie on a small hill to the north of here. If you want a secluded place to camp, that will work. However, you will not likely reach the farm by the time night falls. It is at least half a day away by foot.”

            As Zig turned away from the group and gripped his blade again, Juliana told him, “If you charge into that place and fight that force, you will die. Is that what your Captain would want? I saved you from the brink of death! It would frustrate me immensely if you just threw your life away right after that.”

            Zig turned around again, his face and his aura showing shock and surprise. He then angrily responded, “You have no idea what we have been through! Now, all of our effort has been for nothing. If the Captain is dead, then I have no reason left to fight and no reason left to live. The dream of Darcsen independence will have died with him.”

            Elena then spoke up, her tone having changed considerably from the last time she had addressed Zig. She told him, “If your people are in a position where they need to be freed from oppression and the man who led that effort has fallen, then someone needs to take his place! I do not have a great grasp on your situation, but I have also suffered in my life because of something about myself that I could not help! If your people need a champion, then be that person! If this Captain of yours was a good leader, then he would want someone as loyal to him and his dream as you clearly are to carry on his mantle.”

            As Elena tried to catch her breath, Kyla and Arya both looked over at the young arcanist with intense surprise on both of their faces. Neither of them had viewed Elena as being that principled and passionate before.     

            Kyla then sensed a change in Zig’s aura. A powerful resolve rapidly built up in him. He then looked over at Kyla and her companions and told them, “You are right, I cannot dishonor my people and my cause by throwing away my life. I will have to fight on until our independence is secured. …Thank you for that reminder, I should have never given up hope. My fallen comrades would not want me to give up, so I will continue the fight. …Still, if you are visitors from another world, why did the four of you come to this war-torn continent?”

            Elena pointed to the DWD and replied, “We are here somewhat by accident. We are on the run from the people who created this device, the Logos Order. This magical machine is what allowed us to leave Juliana and I’s homeworld of Austean and come here. We were cornered by the Logos Order’s soldiers and had no choice but to warp here to escape.”

            As Zig was trying to process what Elena had told him, Arya told him, “We thank you for the information you have given us. We should be setting off for that abandoned farmhouse on the hill as soon as we can. Best of luck helping your people. As for the four of us, we have our own home worlds to return to and the Logos Order to somehow defeat. Goodbye, Zig and be safe out there.”

            As Zig looked over at Arya, Kyla said aloud, “He’s coming with us, actually.”

            Zig looked stunned, again, and then asked Kyla, “How did you know I was about to say that?”

            Kyla smirked, pointed to the aura sensing organs on her and explained, “My species can sense the emotions of others. Based on what you were feeling, I made a lucky guess. We can also sense the life force of creatures. That is how I knew you were still alive, but just barely.”

            Zig nodded at Kyla and announced, “If this device you have can travel between worlds, then I want to use its power to transport those among my people who are willing to a world where we can be free and safe. As the last survivor of Calamity Raven, it is what I must do to honor Captain Dahau and finish his life’s mission. Europa may be our home, but it has not been kind to us. Besides, you all saved me from dying. If I can repay you by helping defeat this ‘Logos Order,’ then you can help me find a place where the Darcsen people can live freely. I will not take no for an answer!”

            Elena seemed pleased that she had convince Zig to not give up on his cause. She then declared, “It is settled then, we will travel in the direction of this abandoned farm and find a place to camp for the night along the way. First, though, we need to take whatever supplies are left at that base of yours before these Imperials show up there as well.”

            Zig sighed and nodded his agreement. He then said, “I have no intention of letting your four down. You have given me a chance to finish my Captain and my unit’s mission. I will see this through!”

            As the five of them were about to begin the trek back to the supply base, Kyla looked back at Zig as he gave the smoking facility one last long look. She knew that there was something big he was not telling them. However, she admired his intense passion and knew that he fully intended to fulfill his end of their new bargain. Remembering her days as an ex-outlaw trying to go straight years ago, Kyla knew what it had been like to be mistrusted and discriminated against.

            Zig then followed Kyla, Arya, Elena and Juliana as they made a quick march back to the supply base. Zig mentioned that there were forests not far away they would need to reach by full nightfall in order to make a safe camp. They would have to save the trip to the abandoned farmhouse for tomorrow.


	7. The Wildwoods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the indentation issues in this chapter. It is an issue I have noticed before on occasion when copying Word documents onto the Archive. I do not know how to fix it and I apologize in advance for any trouble it may cause any readers.

            Now accompanied by the Darcsen soldier Zig, Kyla’s group made their way back to the supply base where they had first found the young man. On the way back, Zig was formally introduced to his new allies. He learned their names, even though he still seemed to be adjusting to Arya and Kyla. As night began to fall, they looted food and other supplies from Zig’s slain comrades. Zig was not happy about the whole situation. However, he said that the supplies were going to a good cause and hoped that his slain soldiers would understand the situation. Kyla, Arya and Zig all donned soldier’s packs filled with food and other supplies. Elena and Juliana refilled their own packs as well. Juliana and Zig stocked up on what had been told were grenades. Zig picked up a rifle, and some ammo for it at the others’ encouragement. He clearly seemed to prefer fighting with his ornate greatsword to ranged combat.

Kyla had kept the sub-machine gun she had looted earlier. She obtained a few extra clips of ammo for it with Zig’s help. Kyla knew that her hands were not optimal for using the weapon and that she had no experience using any infantry firearms. However, she knew that having a way to rapidly return fire at a distance could save her life in a fight with gun-toting enemies. Also, Kyla wanted a souvenir of her unintentional adventure and thought a useable weapon would make a great one.

After scavenging what they could from the supply base, Kyla’s Aura Sense picked up a significant number of imperials coming their way. Zig then led the group just north of the supply base to a forested area. It was already night when the, by now quite fatigued, group finally broke into a small clearing.

Kyla announced, “I am no longer picking up any auras in the vicinity. We should be safe here for now.”

Elena then plopped herself down on a fallen log and said, “Great, we will have to camp here and then make for the abandoned farm tomorrow.”

Everyone else nodded. Juliana began to remove her armor, piece by piece. As she did so, she said, “I know that it is late and has been a long day in one way or another for most of us, but we should all eat something before we go to sleep.”

Kyla added, “We should also have alternating watches, at least one of us should always be awake. I have traveled in unsafe wilderness before, so I know how this works. I will take the first watch, since my Aura Sense will pick up any enemies at a longer range and these Imperials will be more likely to investigate this area earlier in the night.”

Arya was breathing out of small jet of flame from her mouth to light the clearing. Zig, despite all that he had seen and learned that day, looked surprised to see Arya breath fire. He then sighed and pulled out and set down a small lantern on a tree stump. As Juliana continued to remove her armor plates, Elena said, I need my meditation time to keep my powers up. Also, once we reach the farmhouse, I will need to be at peak power so that I can recharge the DWD. Therefore, the four of you will have to alternate watches with Kyla starting us off.”

The group all sat down as best as they could and removed their packs. Juliana decided to take the watch after Kyla’s. Then, Arya would be next. Zig would take the final watch.

            The five of them took out their looted rations and began to eat. Kyla enjoyed the taste of what she had been told was “beef,” the meat of an animal called a “cow” more than she would care to admit.

            As the five continued to eat, Elena asked Zig, “By the way, what year is it in this world?”

            Zig responded, “Europan Calendar 1935.”

            Juliana noted, “Europa is ahead of Austean by twenty-five years it seems.”

            Elena quickly added, “I am surprised it is only twenty-five. Of course, when societies begin counting years can vary greatly.”

            Kyla still had a lot to ask Elena and Juliana, like why they had been declared “Demons,” whatever those were. And why they had moved away from their original home. However, she had a more pressing question on her mind. Kyla asked Elena, “Does that translation spell of yours wear off anytime soon?”

            Elena smiled and replied, “That’s a good question. From my experience, it should take a week at least before I need to renew it. I have practiced that spell enough times that the duration could go on for even longer. Everyone I cast it on can comprehend and effectively speak the language of the original caster. Therefore, we are all essentially communicating in Austeanean right now.”

            Zig did not even pretend to understand what Elena meant. However, he said, “We should all get some rest soon. I could tell that you four were getting fatigued when we left the supply base.”

            Everyone nodded in tired agreement and then readied their sleeping bags. The sleeping bags had all been looted from the supply base earlier. Arya intended to sleep on top of her bag, making it into a sort of bed without covers, since it was not designed for a quadruped.

            Kyla took the first watch as her new comrades began to fall asleep. As she patrolled the clearing, she saw a few non-sentient birds flying above her head. As Kyla fought off sleepiness and kept her vigil, she thought about her family and how worried they had to be about her by that point. She sent up a prayer to Arceus that she would get home to her loved ones sooner rather than later. She also thought about the humans she had met, wondering what secrets Elena, Juliana and Zig were hiding, or simply had not told her and Arya yet. Of course, it would also be difficult to explain the complexities of Arya and Kyla’s hostile history to the humans. Kyla knew that they were somewhere in an empire of some kind. It sounded like Zig’s people were victims of this empire’s policies. It also seemed like a larger war was taking place on this continent of Europa. Kyla still wondered what the ultimate purpose of her new enemies, the Logos Order was and how easily the cult could track down the fugitives. She remembered that there either was, or had been, a Logos Order operation on this planet. She just hoped that they would not encounter that operation for the time being.

            When Kyla decided that she could stay awake no longer, she woke up Juliana, who took her place keeping watch. Kyla then climbed into her sleeping bag and fell asleep quickly, thinking as she dozed off, “This was not the way I planned on getting into another adventure. I will at least have quite the new story to tell everyone at home when this is all done.”

When Kyla woke up, she mentally processed everything that had happened to her in the last approximate day. As she looked around the clearing, her hopes that it had all been an elaborate and detailed dream faded away quickly. Kyla extricated herself from her sleeping bag and saw the sun in the sky above the clearing. She soon realized that had missed her morning ritual. To be fair, that was not her homeworld’s sun.

Kyla reached out with her Aura Sense and detected no sentient auras in the vicinity expect for her four allies. She looked over and saw the Darcsen warrior Zig, her newest traveling companion, sitting on a log and looking at a picture.

As Kyla noted that Elena and Juliana were still sleeping, she saw Arya walking over to her. Arya told Kyla, “I think that we should talk while we have a moment? Shall we go off by ourselves, it should not take long.”

Kyla nodded and then, as Zig continued to look at the picture, she followed Arya a small distance from the clearing.

Once they seemed to have some privacy, but were still within viewing distance of the camp, Arya sat on her haunches and told Kyla, “I just wanted to make it clear that I still have not forgiven you for killing Mewtwo, even though you helped save my life. That said, I do not view you as an evil Pokémon, all things considered. I still plan to fight alongside you and do my best to keep you alive for the duration of this whole affair.”

Kyla folded her arms and then told Arya, “The same goes for me. I think that you are more misguided than anything personally. I actually noticed that you did try to cover me with a Flamethrower aimed at Arthus’s force shield when we were escaping the tower. Thanks for that.”

Arya nodded, with clear resolve in her aura. The Ninetales told Kyla, “We will see our home and our loved ones again. And once we return to where we belong, we will finish our duel.”

Kyla smiled down at Arya and nodded. Then, the two females returned to the campsite where they found Elena and Juliana awake and getting some breakfast ready.

Zig had put the picture from before away. He told the others, “We should head north out of the woods today. The farmstead should be more defensible for whatever you need to do. We should avoid the main roads, crossing them only when necessary.”

Elena said, “Agreed, we will move out as soon as we eat. We should all be rested now. Hopefully, this farmstead will work for our purposes.”

Kyla and her allies ate their breakfast and then began the trek north through the woods. After a few hours, of walking down a barely-traveled dirt path Zig had found, they burst out onto a ridge just above a paved road. They could see the hill with the ruined farmstead topping it in the distance at this point.

As the group was about to cross the road, Juliana pointed out what appeared to be a small group of vehicles following the road and coming towards them from the south.

Kyla cringed a bit as she began to sense the living auras in the vehicles. She then told her allies, “I sense a large number of auras in that convoy. A significant number of them are feeling hopeless. They are certainly suffering.”

Zig took out a pair of binoculars and scanned the convoy as the others stepped back a bit. He then exclaimed, “I see one light tank leading three military trucks. This has to be a returning Darcsen hunter convoy on its way to the nearest labor camp. I do not know who else those ‘auras’ could belong to.”

Elena and Juliana looked at each other, clearly concerned, as Kyla said, “We should do something. If we advance across the plains now, this imperial convoy is likely to see us anyway.”

To Kyla’s surprise, Arya added, “We cannot just stand by, whether or not we could escape the convoy’s notice. Between the five of us, we should be able to set up a nice little ambush here.”

Juliana declared, “My faith compels me to help those who are suffering from oppression. I will do what I can as well.”

As Zig seemed both vaguely surprised and glad to see his new companions’ willingness to liberate the Darcsens, Elena finished, “We will have to destroy that armored vehicle first. I have never seen one like it. Still, we should be able to find a way to do so.”

Zig smiled and explained, “The ragnite engines that power those vehicles require vulnerable radiators to be exposed to the air. Hit the tank’s radiator at the back hard enough and it will destroy the whole vehicle. You will know it from its blue ragnite glow. Just don’t do that to the radiators on the trucks. We want to rescue the people in them unharmed if we can.”

As the five travelers took cover in the trees, Kyla boasted, “I should have just the trick we need to take out that radiator.”

As the five hit the deck and took cover, they were able to use a combination of Kyla’s Aura Sense and traditional spotting to determine that the two trucks carrying enslaved Darcsens were right behind the tank. The final truck was likely carrying both supplies and the officer in charge of the hunting party. A squad of soldiers on foot brought up the rear of the convoy.

Kyla prepared to take out the tank once it passed, as Zig and Juliana prepared to engage the soldiers at the rear of the formation. Elena and Arya were at the center of the group to provide support as needed and try to take out the drivers of the two middle trucks.

The convoy began to pass by the ambush team without noticing their presence. Kyla examined her target, the light tank and saw that it looked similar to the husks of some human vehicles she had seen in ruins. This tank looked like a far-less advanced model than the ones used in the war that had ended her world’s human population. It had an elongated reddish-tan body with the gun turret mounted at its front. As Zig had described, the rear of the vehicle had a series of glowing blue metal plates mounted on it. As the armored vehicle passed the spot where Kyla was lying prone, she decided that now was the time to attack.

Kyla rapidly stood up on one knee and charged an Aura Sphere. Aiming for the radiator, Kyla fired her ball of blue light right into the weak spot. The Aura Sphere spun into the radiator and within seconds it overloaded. The tank exploded in a blast of fire and shrapnel.

As the armored imperial soldiers began to look for the source of the attack and the trucks began to stop, Zig charged the infantry squad at the back of the convoy with Juliana following in behind him. Juliana tossed a Europan grenade before drawing her longsword. The explosive landed in the middle of four of the grey-armor wearing soldiers and detonated with a sudden flash of blue light.

Zig reached the enemy troops and, as bullets bounced off of his armor and shield, delivered one mighty slash that sliced three imperials in half.

Kyla charged the truck nearest to her, as the imperial unit scrambled to react to their attackers. She then sliced into the truck’s rear tires, using her Metal Claws. The front tire being singular and located in a harder to reach position beneath the cabin.

            Elena bombarded the front two truck’s drivers with fireworks of force. Arya began to use targeted Flamethrower attacks to immolate imperial troops who targeted Juliana and Zig.

            An imperial soldier carrying a longsword and a medium shield, looking just like a medieval knight, came at Kyla from behind. However, she easily dodged his blade, turned around and delivered a Metal Claw strike to the slit in his armored helmet.

            As the fencer dropped dead, Kyla sensed another soldier coming towards her, having disembarked from the truck. Kyla decided to draw the imperial submachine gun she had strapped around her waist.

            As the soldier popped out to open fire on Kyla, the Lucario took aim down her weapon’s sights and unloaded a stream of lead on him. The shocktrooper dropped from the unexpected barrage of bullets. Kyla’s reinforced body was quite well designed for withstanding the recoil of a repeating firearm, as she had been able to aim accurately while firing despite her almost complete lack of experience.

            With the first truck cleared, Kyla sensed the aura of the man she assumed was the commander of the convoy leaving the rear truck. As Kyla rushed around the center truck and towards the black-clad officer and the trooper guarding him, he drew his pistol and opened fire on her. 

            Kyla took a bullet to the shoulder, but she kept coming. As the shocktrooper was about to open fire on the advancing Kyla, he was sliced through by a beam of purple light from Juliana.

            The officer fired a couple more rounds at Kyla. He was still stunned by the whole ambush and unsure of who his attacker was. As he was about to take more careful aim, he was stabbed in the side of the head by a thrown dagger made ice. The attack had come from Elena, who was still standing on the nearby ridge.

            As the slain officer collapsed, Kyla felt panic in the auras of the slaves in the center truck and the anger of one other aura nearby them. Then, the angry aura faded away in a final moment of intense pain.

            Kyla looked over and saw that Arya was standing near the opening in the rear of the center truck. The burst corpse of an imperial soldier carrying a portable heavy machine gun fell out of the truck as Arya explained, “He was going to just gun those people down. He was going to kill them, even if it meant hampering his own escape.”

            Kyla nodded, noting that her theory that Arya was a fundamentally good, but still deeply misguided, Pokémon had turned out to be true so far.

            Kyla then walked with Arya to just behind the rear truck and saw that Zig and Juliana had finished off the imperial infantry escort. Juliana walked over to heal Kyla’s injury, noting, “You seemed barely slowed down by a gunshot wound. Arya also seemed barely hampered by a bullet to the leg earlier. Your kind must be supernaturally hardy.”

            As Zig walked over to the trucks carrying the recently rescued Darcsens and began to talk to them in Europan, Elena walked over and mentioned, “I have to say, Zig is an amazing swordsman. Regardless, we all did quite well. We defeated a force at least three times our number with no permanent casualties. We should let Zig talk to his people and stay out of the way for now.”

            After Kyla was healed and while Zig was communicating with the Darcsens they had saved, the final truck in the convoy was looted for supplies. Kyla found a heavy machine gun turret in the back of the truck that the imperials had been unable to use during the pitched battle. Surprising most of her allies, she hoisted the gun over her shoulder and said. If we are detected at the farmstead and need to set up a defensive position, we can use this.

            The liberated Darcsens, after talking with Zig, took the two still usable trucks and turned them in the opposite direction. Zig explained to his new comrades, as the trucks drove away, “I knew that we could not take them all with us. I told them that I was going to do what I could to find a new home for our people and that I would come back for as many Europan Darcsens as I could. Whether or not they believed me, they said that they would take the trucks and make for the Gallian border in the hopes that they would be accepted as refugees there.”

            Elena added, “We should make for the farmstead now and hope that there are no imperials stationed there. Assuming that what we just did can be traced to us, we have just made an enemy of the dominant power in this region.”

            Juliana said, “It seemed worth it to me. We freed those people from a terrible fate.”

            As the five began to march north to the farmstead, Kyla sensed a variety of emotions in Zig. The Darcsen warrior told the others, as they left the scene of the ambush behind, “You offered to help rescue those slaves, despite the risks involved. I did not even need to ask you for help. I was not sure what I would have done if you all had wanted to just let the convoy pass. Yet, you offered to help even though you did not know the whole story. You all trusted me, even if Kyla could somehow sense what was going on. …Thank you. I still do not know exactly who and what you four are and I certainly do not understand the powers that you wield. However, I know that you four are good people and that tells me that I was right to follow you.”

            Arya looked somewhat impressed with Zig as Kyla said, “Thank you, Zig. Now, we should try and make sure we reach our destination well before nightfall. With any luck, we can try and figure each other out better once we have a safe place to rest.”           

            Everyone nodded in agreement with Kyla as the five of them kept walking north, determined to reach their destination without further entanglements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note for anyone who is actually familiar with Valkyria Chronicles III who might be reading this story. I took a bit of "artistic license" and made Zig's greatsword a "normal" sword rather than an anti-armor maul because I never thought the mauler units in VC II and III made any sense, even by the series' logic. I think that it works better for my story's purposes to have his sword not have the properties of a maul in this alternate take on the canon. If you have no idea what I was just talking about in this note, than please feel free to ignore it. Regardless, I hope that you all are enjoying the story so far.


	8. The Abandoned Farmstead

            Kyla and her four allies made their way north across a grassy plain towards an abandoned farmhouse on a hill. As they neared the hill, the grass became shorter and greener. When they were almost to the hill, Kyla who was carrying a stolen Imperial heavy machine gun over her shoulder, informed the others, “I sense no sentient auras in the vicinity. For now, we are clear.”

            Elena replied, “That’s a relief. We need some rest, even though it should only be early afternoon now. We have been walking most of the day, excluding our attack on that Imperial convoy.”

            Juliana added, “We should be able to see any hostiles coming our way from the top of that hill. Still, it is not all that high up and the grove of trees just to the west should hamper our view of anyone coming from that direction.”

            Arya then pointed out, “Since there is no one there at the moment, it is our best bet for the time being. I see what is left of a barn and a couple other small buildings.”

            As Kyla and the other reached the hill and began to trek up it, they saw the remains of a short stone wall ringing the actual farmstead. When they reached the top of the hill and walked through a gap in the wall, they saw the heavily damaged barn up close, as well as the nearly destroyed farmhouse and grain silo.

            Zig mentioned, “Artillery fire must have done this. I do not know how this farm got caught up in the crossfire. Just remember that we are still in imperial territory during wartime. If they find us here, they will come down on us with considerable force.”

            Elena pointed out, “I just hope that these imperials do not target this position with their artillery, if we are found here. There would not be much we could do in that case.”

            Kyla grudgingly admitted, “Even though we wiped out one of their convoys, we are probably not seen as enough of a threat to them to warrant the use of whatever sort of weapons ruined this farm in the first place.”

            After Kyla finished, Zig pointed to a spot right behind an intact section of wall and told her, “You should place the turret there. If we are attacked here, then that spot just behind the wall should make an excellent ‘machine gun nest.”

            Kyla replied, as she set up the gun and got out some of the extra ammunition belts she had been carrying for it, “I will defer to your expertise here. You are the one member of our group from this world, after all.”

            Once the turret had been set up, Kyla followed the others inside the barn. Elena explained, once they were all inside and had taken off their packs, “My current plan is as follows: I will begin work on recharging and deciphering the DWD now. That way, we can get a portal open whenever we are ready. I certainly plan on leaving this world sooner rather than later. For the time being, you four should clear out this barn so that we can use this space to eat and rest. Arya, you will be in charge of setting a fire. Kyla, you should occasionally scan the area with your Aura Sense to make sure that no one is coming our way.”

            Kyla asked Elena, as the young arcanist went to find a clear spot in the barn to sit down, “Once the DWD is ready to go, where are we going next?”

             Elena replied, “We will probably either return to Austean to inform the Domain of Terranor about the Logos Order. Or, we will warp to your and Arya’s homeworld and see if we can gather reinforcements there. Either way, this will have to end with us attacking the Logos Order head on. We will need to stop running and face them at some point. As skilled and powerful as the five of us are, we will need a real army to take on Tom Arthus and his forces.”

            Kyla nodded back at Elena as she began to help Juliana and Zig clear out wooden beams and other debris and move them to the edges of the barn’s interior. Arya kept the inside of the barn well-lit by using a small jet of flame from her mouth. Juliana had made it very clear that Arya needed to be extremely careful to avoid setting the barn on fire. Thankfully, the barn’s dirt floor would be good for lighting a campfire without fear that it would automatically spread and consume the whole building.

            For the next couple of hours, Elena, who was sitting in a meditative pose, focused on recharging the DWD. Everyone else was hard at work clearing and cleaning the barn. They also choose a spot for their campfire at the center of the floor and piled sticks and small shards of wooden beams onto it.

            After the barn was cleared and cleaned, Kyla looked outside and saw that the sun was getting lower in the sky. She then turned around as she heard Elena say to the group, “I have mostly recharged the DWD. It was low on energy when I obtained it as I said earlier. It should easily have enough power for another warp jump now. However, I still need to find out how to get us to a safe part of Austean, or Kyla and Arya’s homeworld. This device’s creators did not want someone using it unauthorized, so they have made it far from easy to lock onto a destination, even if the Logos Order has been operating there. There might be some sort of arcane encryption I will eventually need to decipher in order to open portals more rapidly and repeatedly.”

            Elena’s allies all tried to look like they had even somewhat understood most of what she had told them as she finished, “Tomorrow, I will begin the work of finding our next destination. For now, we should get ready to eat and then get some early rest. We should also keep a watch, just to be safe.”

            Kyla and the others began to unpack their rations, as Juliana mentioned, “The amount of time we can spend in this world might also be limited by our current supply of rations. This may be a farm, but we have not found any edible food stocks here yet. I do not know if we can afford sending out a party to forage for food, they might get detected by hostiles.”

            Kyla and her allies, except for Arya who sat on her haunches, pulled up whatever they could find to safely sit on. As the five of them began to eat after lighting their fire, Kyla looked around at her allies, still wondering how she was going to explain the whole situation to her family and friends when she saw them again. Since her rescue, Kyla had refused to believe that she would never see her loved ones again. She had been through abandonment, desperation, imprisonment, war, a battle against a chaos god and family drama in her life. She was sure that she could survive this multi-dimensional adventure, just like she had survived everything else life had thrown at her.

            Kyla’s inwardly-focused thoughts were interrupted when she heard Arya ask, “Zig, you have told us that your people, the Darcsens, have been oppressed and mistreated by the Imperials and possibly many others. We saw that first hand when we rescued some of them from that Imperial convoy. My question is, why is your subset of humanity kept down in this world? What triggered the discrimination, enslavement and other injustices against your kind?”

            Kyla looked over at Zig, as did Elena and Juliana, who were sitting next to each other. The Darcsen soldier then began, “The truth is that the other Europan peoples have a legend of what they call the ‘Darcsen Calamity.’ They claim that my ancestors ragnite experiments ravaged the continent, even creating deserts where none should exist, millennia ago. They say that another ancient race called the Valkyrur invaded from the north and stopped the ancient Darcsens from causing any more damage. The Valkyrur were said to be blessed with ragnite-based supernatural powers, which made them like physical gods. I have seen some of their descendants in action a few times. No weapons brought to bear against them could penetrate their shields and azure flames.”

            Kyla noticed that Juliana’s eyed briefly flared up with purple fire at the mention of the Valkyrur. Something in the young woman’s aura had become upset. Juliana herself continued to eat as if nothing had happened.

            Elena, whether or not she had noticed Juliana’s eyes flaring up, replied, “Even if your ancestors messed up, that does not make their descendants guilty of the same crimes. Regardless, your old unit being called Calamity Raven does sounds like a hilarious ‘Fuck You’ to your oppressors. In terms of these ‘Valkyrur,’ I guess that supernatural beings do exist in this world. It seems they are tied to ragnite, the mineral source of energy that fuels vehicles and explosives here.”

            Kyla could sense that Zig was feeling intensely guilty over something. However, he still continued, “Many of my people refused to violently oppose our oppressors in the Empire and outside of it. They believe that retaliating will somehow poison their souls. Captain Dahau was the most famed Darcsen rights activist and resistance fighter on the continent for years. He survived multiple attempts on his life. Still, the Empire was too large for even him to resist. My own parents were slain by the imperial police without trial because they aided the Darcsen resistance movement. Captain Dahau himself lost his wife, Miga, in his quest to force the Empire to give us an independent state. His next plan was the formation of Calamity Raven. We tried to work with the Empire, despite always knowing they were our enemies. However, the Imperial invasion force we were attached to was defeated in Gallia. After that, a squad of Gallian lowlifes called the Nameless, who we had done battle with many times, defeated me and my squad…. thanks to you all, I am still here and I can finish my hero’s mission. I will not stop until my people have our sovereignty, Captain Dahau would expect no less of me.”

            Kyla knew that Zig had changed the conversation because of whatever was causing him to feel intense guilt. She also bet that the picture Zig had looked at before was a picture of his parents. Kyla then told Zig, “Your Captain must have meant the world to you. Still, I have seen where blindly worshipping someone as a pure hero leads. My oldest daughter was victimized by someone who believed that his hero was undeniably perfect once. She was nearly beaten unconscious, until a mutual acquaintance of Arya and I intervened.”

            As Zig tried to process what Kyla had told him, seeming angry with her internally, but not entirely discounting her point, Arya smiled and mentioned, “If the Lady Lugia was with us now, we would have a lot less to worry about. She would make short work of these imperials and probably even Tom Arthus himself.”

            Elena seemed intrigued and was likely about to ask who Lugia was when Kyla decided to ask Elena and Juliana, “You know, I have wanted to know since I met you two what your full story is. I know that Juliana owed Elena a life debt and that you two have been friends for years. I have also heard that you were forced to move from one country to another after you two were declared to be ‘Demons.’ What does that all mean?”

            Elena sighed a bit and began, “Since I’m me, I will have to put my life story, and Juliana’s, in a historical context.” She then continued, as Juliana rolled her eyes, “In the late 1880s Austeanean Calendar, the Holy Eulidian Empire decided to expand its colonial domain by invading the Fadalian Empire to the west across the sea. Just when it seemed as though Fadalia would fall to foreign occupation…”

            Juliana then interjected, “The Terranoran Expeditionary Force, lead by the heroine of the Terranoran Civil War, Priestess General Sapphire Cordwin Coril, made landfall in southern Fadalia. The TEF and Fadalian forces mounted a major counterattack and drove the Eulidians out of Fadalia. They then proceeded to liberate Eulidia’s remaining colonies and besiege the Eulidian capital city of Wortshire. Eulidia nearly lost its own independence and had to agree to a massive reduction its military and not make any future attempts at colonial expansion in order to get a peace treaty signed.”

            Elena, who looked annoyed that Juliana had stolen that part of the story from her added, “Where I fit into this is that my father, Count Charles Joland, was an officer in the Eulidian force that invaded Fadalia. When attacking the fortress of a minor lord, he found a young woman imprisoned and tortured in the fortress’s dungeon. You see, the lord, who soon fell to my father in combat, was a devout and superstitious man who had imprisoned his own daughter and tried to force her to kill herself.”

            Zig interjected, “What sort of man would do that to his own child?”

            Elena continued, “The Fadalian Lord was a believer that women who possessed the gift of spirit calling were possessed by evil spirits. When his own daughter demonstrated that power, he turned on her. My father rescued the young noble girl, my mother. She defected to the Eulidians and fled with them when they were forced off of Fadalia. I was raised, along with my twin brother, in the Joland family manor. We were born in 1892, a few years after the signing of the peace treaty in late 1889.”

            Juliana then sighed deeply as Elena added, “Back in Terranor, what would come to be my adopted homeland and Juliana’s. Civil unrest was forming in the far north due to the activities of independence movements in the region. That whole affair was escalated when it turned out that the ruling Domain’s state religion, the United Church of God, was a fraud. Their deity was revealed to not really have been the creator of Austean. This triggered the second Terranoran rebellion in 1890. The UCG was defeated and left with only a few scattered churches and followers. The former national heroine, Sapphire Coril, was slain by a rebel leader whose husband she had killed in a previous battle.”

            Kyla interjected, “This lesson on the history of Austean is very informative. However, where do the two of you come in?”

            Elena replied, “I was just getting to that part. You see… the dominant church in Eulidia could tolerate the presence of a couple of ‘heathen’ Spirit Callers like me and my mother in their country. However, I turned out to something they could not tolerate, something they saw as irredeemably demonic… a homosexual.”

            Juliana pointed out, “We are both homosexuals, actually. I grew up in a deeply religious family. I was born as Juliana Rallstein in Eulidia. I always wanted to be a priestess growing up. However, when I was only sixteen, I realized what I was. I was caught when the police raided the only spot in town people like us would congregate. Elena happened to be there that night as well. However, Elena’s family, the Jolands, ran our hometown. Her father got her death sentence commuted to exile for life. As for me, my birth family wanted me to be burned once they learned the truth. It was Elena who asked for my sentence to be commuted so that I could accompany her to Terranor as a traveling companion. When we arrived in our new home, we moved to the capital city of Agharta. Elena enrolled in the Academy of Magic, the staff of which was interested in learning more about the source of her powers, and got her own apartment. I happened to walk into one of the last operating churches in Agharta one day and met a young priest, Stanley Ewdrick and his girlfriend Lana Carlton. Lana, being one of the last Knights of the United Church in existence, also possesses some divine power. Soon after I got to know Stanley and Lana, Lana’s family took me in and adopted me. Stanley took me as his apprentice and I was ordained as a junior priestess soon after that.”

            When Juliana finished, Kyla realized that no one in the group had had an entirely easy life. None of them were still in contact with both of their birth parents, for one. She also found it somewhat amusing that she had friends at home named Alana and Alina, she had just recently met someone named Elena and that Juliana’s adoptive older sister was named Lana. All of those names sounded quite similar.

Kyla then looked over at the two girls and told them, in an almost matter of fact tone, “You should know that my oldest daughter, Ana, and my best friend, Stephan, are both gay. I am sorry that for what you two went through and you will get nothing but support from me in this regard.”

            Arya added, “You two are good people, you did not deserve all of that. I am glad that you two survived your ordeal and found a new home. Kyla and I would not be here without you two. We will get you back to your adoptive family, Juliana.”

            Zig seemed quite impacted by the whole thing and said, “I see what you meant before now. You two still saved my life and helped me remember to never give up hope. I will not abandon you, seeing as though you did not abandon me.”

            Elena then finished, “At least I know that my parents still loved me. They loved me enough to save me, even if it meant likely never seeing me again. Juliana’s parents were driven by their faith to turn on her in an instant. That, combined with what happened to my mother before she was saved by my father, is why I will always hate organized religion!”

            Juliana groaned a bit and countered, “I have always felt like I needed faith in my life. I really do believe in the potential of the United Church, even if they lied to their populace before. I will always stand by the maxim that if you treat all people like people and fight to save others and alleviate their suffering, you will be doing the right thing.”

            Arya interjected, “I think we have learned enough for tonight. Why don’t we all get ready to get some sleep. Kyla, you should take the first watch again. Elena, you will need a full-night’s rest again, I assume.”

            As the group finished up eating, they all agreed. Everyone got ready to rest the night soon after. Kyla scanned the vicinity with her Aura Sense as her comrades got their sleeping bags ready.

            Kyla was keeping watch over the barn and the immediate vicinity via her Aura Sense. She happened to notice that Elena was sitting in a meditative pose. Also, the DWD on Elena’s lower arm was glowing with both the usual purple light and an orange flame that damaged neither the device or its wearer.

            When Juliana was woken up to relieve Kyla, she decided not to disturb Elena’s trance. Kyla fell asleep in her sleeping bag, looking up at the damaged barn’s ceiling and wondering what she and Arya would have to tell the humans their stories.


	9. The Enemy Counterattack

\---

The Command Room of the House Arthus North Arcane Tower:

            Tom Arthus stood next to a war table situated at the center of a large room with green-painted walls covered in many places by light blue and white banners. The white-haired sorcerer looked over a map of the planet Austean, his eyes were focused on the southern peninsula of Terranor, which was not far north across the Kalatian Ocean from the tower he commanded. Standing directly beside Lord Arthus was his loyal bodyguard Marcus Smith, a magically-enhanced super soldier who was intensely committed to both his Lord and the cause of the Logos Order. At Marcus’s back was his massive greatsword, which he had named _Scythecrusher: The Defender of Kings_.

            A black-haired, pale-skinned, human woman in her early twenties, wearing armored robes decorated in light blue and white, walked up to the duo and saluted them.

            Tom turned to look at the new arrival and sighed. He told her, “Yes, Cornelia, I know that our master is displeased with recent events. As the High Priestess, you have a right to be upset. I can promise you that I will make Elena Joland and her compatriot pay with their lives for their defiance once they are located.”

            Cornelia Heliopolis, the High Priestess of the Logos Order, nodded and told Tom, “I may be the High Priestess of our master’s clergy, but you are the leader of the Logos Order. You, Lord Arthus, are the one our master has chosen to carry out his will. It will fall to you to decide how we are to proceed. However, if my personal aid is needed, I will be more than happy to enter battle for the glory of the Logos Order.”

            Tom noted that Cornelia was as serious in her demeanor as she ever was. He then responded, “There are a few worlds that our enemies could have escaped to. However, there is no efficient way to sweep them. The DWD that they stole had not been prepared with any sort of tracker function. We need a way to discern our foes’ location before they can assemble any significant force to oppose us and our master.”

            As Tom finished, one of the doors to the command room swung open and a silver-haired woman with piercing red eyes wearing a semi-armored black military uniform with a short skirt entered the room. With her hair trailing behind her, the woman walked up to the, now smiling Tom Arthus.

            Tom took the silver-haired woman’s hand and kissed it when she reached him. He then said, “Helga Werner, it is so good to see you again. What brings you back to the tower, my lovely.”

            Helga smiled back at Tom and told him, “My Lord, I am sadly not here for pleasure, but business. I heard of your recent altercation with an Elena Joland. From what I have been told, it led to the escape of multiple captured assets along with the brazen intruders.”

            Tom responded, “Yes it did. I would love your assistance in this matter, I am sure that you would be more than a match for the small band of fugitives we are pursuing. However,…”

            Helga flashed a wicked grin and interrupted, leaning closer to Tom, “You do not know where our enemies have escaped to, correct? My contacts in the Empire have informed me of a recent raid on a convoy carrying Darcsen slaves. There were no Atlantic Federation or underground resistance units known to be operating in the vicinity at the time. Also, the slain soldiers’ wounds are unique and varied. Many of them do not correspond with Europan weaponry at all.”

            Tom grinned back at Helga and then kissed her lips sensuously. When he withdrew from his consort’s embrace, he declared, “Praise be to our master! Helga, use your contacts to see if the imperials can track down the fugitives for us. I do not expect any small imperial unit to survive an attack on the fugitives. Therefore, you should try to get such an attack called off, even if it has already begun. Once the fugitives have been located, I want you to deal with them personally. You can have the support of as many of my commandos as you can rapidly ready for deployment. As for me, I have another plan in the works that my family insists I must attend to.”

            Helga saluted Tom and then asked, “I will depart for Europa as soon as I can, my Lord. With our master’s blessings, I will return victorious and we will celebrate together. One last thing, what are my orders regarding how to dispose of the fugitives.”

            Cornelia and Marcus looked to Tom, who told Helga, “You are to kill the two human women and anyone else they have allied themselves with. Make sure to take the non-humans alive. The canid-humanoid one who goes by Kyla you can kill if necessary. However, DO NOT allow the other one to perish. Even if you somehow find yourself losing the battle and cannot defeat them all, eliminate the enemy’s arcanist, Elena Joland. She will be the one using the DWD. More importantly… our master says she must be slain before she can learn what she really is.”

            Helga did not question her Lord’s orders. She saluted Tom and received salutes from Tom, Cornelia and Marcus in return. She then spun on her heel and left the room to prepare for her mission.

            After Helga had left the room, Tom smiled at Cornelia and Marcus. He told them, “I have a feeling that the fugitives will meet their match soon enough.”

\---

            Kyla woke up the next morning and crawled out of her sleeping bag. She saw her four companions standing around the place where they had lit a campfire last night.

Elena noticed Kyla having gotten up and told her, “We were just telling Zig the full story of why Juliana and I came to the Arcane Tower and ended up rescuing you and Arya. We had decided to let you sleep as long as you needed to.”

Kyla nodded as she got up and stretched her arms. She then asked, “What’s the plan for today?”

Elena replied, “After breakfast, I will get right to work on deciphering the DWD as best as I can. You will want to keep scanning the vicinity for any incoming auras. With any luck, we can pick our next destination and leave this world behind soon. …Oh yeah, last night the spirit I told you about earlier reached out to me again. She told me that I was making progress towards being able to reach her. She seemed pleased with me for stealing the DWD and said that it would allow us to meet in time. The one concerning thing that she told me was that someone, or something, dangerous was using its power to hamper communication between the two of us. She said that I needed to meet with her in order to hear the full story.”

Kyla realized that that had to be why the DWD on Elena’s lower arm had been glowing last night. She wondered why it had appeared to be on fire, as Elena had not mentioned anything along those lines.

Juliana chimed in, “We should eat breakfast now and then let Elena get back to her work. We want her to have her privacy and be focused on the task at hand.”

Everyone agreed and then they all started eating breakfast. After finishing that up, Kyla decided to get some fresh air. She walked outside over to the short stone wall and laid her arms on it. Kyla looked out over the nearby grove of trees, standing next to the machine gun turret she had placed the previous day.  

Kyla stood there for around ten minutes, thinking about how she would eventually be asked to tell her life story to her new human allies. She knew that she had been on the opposite side of a war from Arya and that Arya still had not forgiven her for her perceived transgressions.

Kyla then sensed Juliana’s aura approaching. She heard the young woman coming up behind her and then Juliana walked over and stood a few feet from Kyla.

When Kyla looked over at Juliana in the morning light, Juliana asked, “Kyla, you have mentioned your family multiple times so far. You have also mentioned having children. I was just wondering, what is it like being a mother?”

Kyla asked Juliana back, “Do you want to adopt kids someday?”

Juliana nodded and replied, “Yes, I do. Elena always said that childrearing would not be for her, but I am not her. It does not sound like Arya has any living family she was in touch with. On the other hand, you have expressly told us that you have a family you intend to see again. I was just wondering if you had any advice about motherhood for me?”

Kyla thought briefly about her older children, Ana and Rico and her little daughter Macy, who had never been on an adventure. She knew that, assuming they were safe at home, they had to be scrambling to find out what had happened to her. As Kyla clenched her fists, angry that she couldn’t do anything but wait for Elena to figure the out how to use the DWD to get her back home, she began to pick up multiple auras at the edge of her range.

Kyla looked over at Juliana and told her, “I am glad I never entirely stopped scanning this area, I sense two clusters of auras rapidly approaching from the east. They seem angry and determined.”

Juliana said, “That has to be the Imperials! If they have found us, then we need to warn the others and make a plan fast.”

Kyla and Juliana sprinted back to the barn, where they alerted the other three to the incoming attackers. Thankfully, Zig and Juliana both already had their armor on just to be safe. Elena said that everyone should get their packs on, just in case they had to flee the farmstead quickly, or jump through another dimensional portal. The group of five readied their packs and weapons and then took their positions behind the short stone wall segments.

Kyla shouted, “The two groups are almost here. I am also picking a third, smaller group coming this way not far behind them!”

Juliana readied her heavy shield and revolver as a pair of tracked and lightly armored vehicles painted reddish-tan burst through the trees.

As the two vehicles aimed their top-mounted machine gun turrets at the group’s position and opened fire, Zig called out, “Imperial APCs! They must be carrying infantry!”

Kyla got on the machine gun turret and shouted, “Arya, Elena take out those turret gunners! We have the defensive advantage here, but they have greater numbers.”

Arya blasted the turret of the APC farther away from Kyla with a quick Flamethrower, roasting the gunner and leaving his body stuck in the gunner’s seat.

Elena summoned a series of small boulders above the gun turret of the APC closer to Kyla and dropped them, pelting the gunner to death.

Now, Imperial soldiers began to pour out of the APCs. Kyla opened fire on the soldiers exiting the APC on her side, eliminating a couple of them as they dove for cover.

Juliana took out one imperial soldier with a headshot from her revolver. Zig had smartly decided not to just charge in at the imperials and took out the semi-automatic rifle he had looted earlier. Zig began to lay down suppressing fire on the imperial troops while taking cover next to Arya.  

            As Elena summoned one of her force shields to protect herself, Kyla kept up firing on the enemy troops on her side. The torrent of bullets forcing them to stay behind the trees, or prone on the ground near their APC. The APCs themselves were no longer a significant threat, since they had both lost their turret gunners early in the battle.

            At that point, Kyla sensed the last group of auras approaching fast and soon saw an imperial tank charge out of the grove. This tank was larger than the last one they had faced.

            Zig shouted, “Medium Tank, get to cover!”

            The Medium tank took aim at Kyla’s machine gun nest and fired its main cannon. Kyla had only barely flung herself away from the turret before it was consumed in a blast of fire and smoke.

            As the empty APCs began to retreat, Elena ran over to Kyla and told her, “I have a plan. You need to take out that tank’s radiator like you did last time!”

            Kyla got up, as Arya and Zig did their best to suppress the remaining imperial infantry. Juliana then ran over to Kyla as a second tank shell collided with the hillside, missing the defenders. Juliana summoned a layer of force armor over Kyla. Elena then tapped Kyla’s shoulder and she turned invisible again. They all knew that Kyla would be visible and exposed after firing her Aura Sphere into the radiator.

            Knowing what she had to do, Kyla charged down the hill at top speed. Her allies began to retreat from their defensive line, which caused the tank to begin rolling forward, covered on its flanks by the a few soldiers on each side.

            Kyla snuck around the advancing Imperials and saw that the Medium Tank had a tail-mounted machine gun just above its radiator. Kyla charged up an Aura Sphere and thought, “Clever, but not clever enough!”

Kyla launched the orb of blue light into the tank’s radiator from directly behind it. The tank explored, with bits of shrapnel bouncing off of the, now visible, Kyla’s force armor. Three nearby Imperial soldiers saw Kyla and peppered her with bullets as she rushed them.

            The lead shower ended up dispelling Kyla’s force armor. However, she dove right for her enemies as they were about to reload and detonated a Dragon Pulse, vaporizing all three of them.

            Kyla looked over and saw the remaining four imperial troops beginning to panic without armor support. Zig charged down at them with his greatsword drawn, taking advantage of their low morale.

            Arya, Elena and Juliana covered Zig from above, as Kyla made her way back to her side’s defensive line. She sensed no other auras closing in on the farmstead for the moment.

            Kyla’s allies dispatched the remaining imperial troops with ease and then the five of them regrouped just behind the farmstead wall. Elena, announced, “I am going to start preparing the DWD for another jump. Those two APCs got away and they will likely radio their superiors about their defeat. We need to leave this dimension sooner rather than later.”

            As Elena began to activate the DWD, Kyla sensed something. Kyla informed her allies, “Elena, you should get that portal open as soon as possible. I sense a larger force headed this way. …Wait, it seems like they are fanning out to form a perimeter? They are not coming right for us?”

            Kyla shut her eyes to focus on scanning for auras as Zig, Arya and Juliana got into position to try and repel a second imperial attack. She then opened her eyes and said, “There is a single aura rapidly approaching out position. Something about it feels… very wrong. I have never sensed an aura like this one before. …More auras are coming in within my range now.”

            Juliana added, “I sense something evil myself, to be honest.”

            Arya then shouted to Kyla, as the group prepared to defend Elena, who still had her force shield up, “That is exactly what happened when we were ambushed by Tom Arthus and his minions! Their auras popped in within your range because they warped in from another dimension!”

            Kyla took cover and drew her sub-machine gun. She then saw a silver-haired, red eyes woman wearing a partially-armored black uniform approaching them from the direction the last wave had come from. The newcomer was soon accompanied by eight black-armored House Arthus commandos who were each equipped with semi-automatic rifles and dual short swords. Four of the soldiers emerged on each side of the red-eyed woman.

            As the silver-haired beauty drew a strange silver-blue artifact and spilt it into a circular medium shield and a long elaborate lance, she announced, “Fugitives! I am Helga Werner of the Logos Order! Lord Arthus sends his regards. You eluded my lord at his tower, but here you will be stopped. I do not expect you to surrender. However, this is the end of your resistance to his lordship and our master!”

            As Helga was sheathed in azure ragnite fire and began to pelt the upper walls with pulses of ragnite from her lance, Zig called out, “A Valkyria of the Empire! Why are you serving this Logos Oder?”

            As half of Helga’s troops advanced and the other half held their ground and opened fire with their rifles, the Valkyria replied, “So, you fugitives picked up a dark hair? I will still answer your question, filth. I joined with the Logos Order so as to gain the favor of its divine master so that his power may bring your pitiful kind to heel once and for all. I would accept the extermination of the Darcsens before I would see them rise in status.”

            Arya blasted two of Helga’s soldiers with an Inferno, as Juliana slew a third with a beam of purple light. Kyla then conjured an Aura Sphere and fired it at Helga.

            Zig screamed in rage at Helga and as Arya was about to call out to him, he charged at the Valkyria, bullets bouncing off of his armor and shield as he charged.

            Helga raised her ragnite shield to block Kyla’s Aura Sphere, as two more of her soldiers began to advance. The Aura Sphere collided with the shield and managed to crack it significantly, but did not destroy it.

            Zig then closed in on the advancing Helga. She saw him coming and easily used her lance to block his blade.

            Kyla saw one of Helga’s commandos taking aim at Zig’s head. She responded by firing a second Aura Sphere at him, downing the enemy before he could fully line up his shot.

            Arya used a Flamethrower to immolate another advancing commando. She then took cover as the remaining Logos Order soldiers kept their distance and laid down suppressing fire with their rifles.

            Kyla then looked over at Juliana who had suddenly been consumed by a raging field of purple flames. Juliana pointed her longsword at Helga, as enemy fire directed at her was absorbed with ease by the purple fire. The priestess then declared, her eyes now totally covered by purple light and her voice sounding almost like a thousand voices rolled into one, “Abomination against God! Your very existence is an injustice! Face me and receive the judgement you deserve!”

            Helga was distracted from dueling Zig, as Kyla called out, “Zig, fall back, she is too strong for you!”

            Juliana then went screaming down the hillside, bullets still having no effect on her. As Zig reluctantly began to retreat back up the hill, covered by Arya’s fiery attacks, Juliana shrieked with a thousand voices and her shield collided with Helga’s.  

            Helga was shocked at Juliana’s sudden ferocity. She aimed her lance at the priestess but discovered that Juliana’s sword had been plunged into her stomach. The blade had nearly effortlessly sliced through Helga’s ragnite flame and armor and impaled her in the gut.

            Kyla saw the remaining Logos Order commandos charging up the hill, realizing they could not harm Juliana at the moment. Kyla drew her sub-machine gun and then opened fire, downing two enemies in rapid succession.

            Kyla then realized that twelve more auras had popped up and were on their way to her positon. She called out, “More hostiles incoming! Elena, we need an exit!”

            Elena called back, “Way ahead of you. I am not leaving without Juliana, but here’s our exit!”

            A dimensional portal opened up next to Elena, it appeared to lead into a lake with stone platforms visible above the water’s surface. The portal seemed to lead onto one of the platforms.

            Zig called down to Juliana, as the Logos Order reinforcements emerged and began to open fire on the group. “We need to go now! One stab is not going to kill that Valkyria!”

            Juliana seemed to snap out of her trance. She then saw Helga, who was still standing, about to swing her lance. Juliana bashed Helga with her heavy shield and then conjured a blast of sound and purple sparks that stunned the Valkyria and the two commandos closest to her.

            Elena saw the Logos Order troops advancing on her allies and saw that Juliana was retreating back up the hill, with her purple flame having begun to fade. Elan summoned a second series of boulders and sent them crashing down on two more enemy commandos, as Kyla sprayed another pair of incoming hostiles with hot lead.

            Arya covered Zig with well-aimed blasts of fire, allowing him to reach the top of the hill. Elena raised her hand, with bullets beginning to fly past her and bounce off of her force shield. Elena clenched her fist and suddenly all of her allies began to glow brightly and move much faster.

            Kyla, who had exhausted her clip, saw Juliana charging up the hill at full speed. She put away her SMG and fired one last Aura Sphere to cover Juliana’s retreat.

            Helga then began to recover from her wound and Juliana’s spell and shouted, “All units… Charge! Do not let the enemy escape. Stop them at all costs!”

            Arya then ran for the portal with Zig right behind her and shouted, “Everybody to the portal! We need to close it before any of them reach us.”

            Elena waited until Juliana was up the hill, as Kyla began to follow Arya and Zig. She then, already tired from her last spell, made a gesture using both of her hands and summoned a burst of superheated steam, aimed at Helga and the commandos closest to her.

            Helga was forced back a bit and blinded for a moment as the two commandos next to her were boiled in their armor. Elena then followed Juliana to the portal.

            As the group neared the portal, Helga got a good look at her retreating foes and made a mad dash at them. Only four commandos were left having reached the hillside. They were trying to take aim at their, rapidly moving, targets.

            Arya, Zig, Kyla and Juliana all jumped through the portal in rapid succession. Landing on solid stone. Elena then saw Helga nearing their position and leapt through the dimensional hole. She then closed the portal seconds before the Valkyria could reach it and just before the commandos could move into position to line up good shots.

            Kyla stood up as she saw that Elena’s force shield had disappeared. The five travelers were standing on a circular stone platform on a lake. As Kyla looked around, Elena said aloud, “The DWD calls this place the ‘Forbidden Land?’”

            Kyla could only wonder why that was as she reached out with her Aura Sense and her allies all stood up and began to look around.


	10. The Forbidden Land

            Kyla and her four traveling companions were all standing on top of a large stone platform with a raised section in the middle. The platform sat on a small lake with mostly calm water. Kyla noticed some waterfalls nearby, but was more concerned about how her group was going to get off of the platform they were standing on. They were likely going to have to swim to more solid ground, assuming they could locate more solid ground.

            Juliana then awkwardly mentioned, as Elena was examining the DWD intently, “Guys, I am sorry about what happened in the last battle. I flew out of control without even realizing it. I will have to see if I can commune with my deity later. Hopefully, they can tell me why I entered that battle trance.”

            Arya pointed out, “At least you snapped out of it when it was time for us to retreat. The Logos Order would have likely continued to send reinforcements until we were defeated had we not escaped.”

            Zig then told Juliana, “I also have no idea what that trance was. However, I am honestly impressed! You almost took on a Valkyria one-on-one! No Europan I have ever heard of has managed such a feat!”

            Arya then, as Kyla closed her eyes and started scanning the vicinity in earnest with her Aura Sense, changed the subject, saying, “The problem now is that we are stranded on this platform. We might have to just wait here until Elena gets the DWD ready for another warp. I for one would rather not swim it, especially since we are not sure how to reach solid ground from here.”

            Kyla was focused on scanning the area for auras. She first sensed a few non-sentient auras in the vicinity. She then thought, “I should probably scan the water as well.”

            Kyla reached out into the water with her Aura Sense and detected what were likely a few non-sentient fish. She then rapidly opened her eyes and exclaimed, “There is someone in the water! Their aura is very strong and unlike any I have sensed before.”

            Elena pointed out, “That is saying something, since you have sensed a myriad of new auras since you were abducted.”

            Kyla then felt a chill down her spine as the water began to ripple just above the aura she had just detected. She then exclaimed, “It knows we are here. It’s coming up!”   

            The entire group backed up a bit as a gargantuan being of rock and iron, covered by moss in many places reared up from the water. This creature wore a metal mask that covered up any eyes it might have. It has two enormous tusks mounted on its lower head. The ends of the tusks were glowing brightly blue. The creature’s head was covered by a few tooth-like structures and what looked like grass covered much of it.

            Elena exclaimed, “That is one heck of a golem! Someone must have really wanted to protect this place.”

            Arya was clearly terrified. She cursed, “Damn it! There is nowhere to run! Without a new portal, we are all going to die here. This thing is going to do the Logos Order’s work for them.”

            Kyla held out her hand to stop her companions from possibly attacking the grand golem. She then looked into the automaton’s aura and stammered, “This thing has emotions! I am sensing some confusion, and happiness? …Now intense excitement?”

            Zig responded, “Maybe it is really excited to kill and possibly eat us?”

            Juliana retorted, “It does not have a mouth, at least not as far as I can see.”

            Then, a male voice echoed in the minds of all five travelers. The voice spoke to all of them in their native languages, saying happily, “It has been so long since I have had visitors! I do not know how you five suddenly appeared here, but I must know what brings you to my domain!”

            The entire group was stunned that the golem seemed friendly and happy to see them. Elena decided to step forward and cast her translation spell on the golem. She wanted him to be able to understand her back. She then stammered, “Hello, Mr. Lake Guardian. We are humble travelers who have come here seeking refuge. You do not happen to have seen anyone calling themselves the Logos Order around here, have you?”

            The Golem’s voice echoed in the group’s minds again, “You can call me Pelagia, young lady. And your friends can call me that as well. As for this ‘Logos Order’ of yours, I have not encountered anyone who affiliates with a group by that name recently. Honestly, I have been hoping that people would return to this peninsula you some time now. You five are the first peaceful visitors to this place in centuries! Now, please tell me how you got here.”

            Elena awkwardly replied, “Would you believe that we jumped through a dimensional portal?”

            Pelagia responded, “Yes, yes I would. I have been dead before, so it is not that hard to believe that you all came here from another world. Besides, your canine friends look like no mortals I have ever met.”

            Arya pointed out, “Sounds like we have found yet another world likely populated by humans. Maybe the Logos Order is focusing its efforts on human populated worlds?”

            Zig then asked Pelagia, “Sir Pelagia, do you know of a safe place to camp nearby. This is my first time in a universe outside of my own.”

            Pelagia responded, “This peninsula is safe as far as I am concerned. Most of my kind want to help mortals as best as we can. Just do not try to find and bother Barba. He is a cranky old one.  However, I am duty bound to alert Lord Malus, our leader, that you have arrived in our home. He will most likely want to meet you at some point. As for where to rest… I guess I could help you on your way to reaching the old Shrine of Worship at the center of this territory. Once you get a bit outside of my domain, you really cannot miss it. But first, I still want to know who you all are and where you come from. Once you tell me about yourselves, I will help you to leave this place, deal?”

            That reminded Kyla about how she and Arya still needed to tell Elena, Juliana and Zig about their pasts. Juliana then stepped forward and told Pelagia, “Deal. It’s not like we have another choice.”

            Pelagia helpfully added, “I do not need to know your entire life stories. However, some basics about who you all are and what your situation was like before you arrived here would be great.”

            One by one, Kyla and her companions introduced themselves to Pelagia. Then, they explained their situation regarding being pursued by the enigmatic and sinister Logos Order to the guardian golem.

            Pelagia’s tusks briefly flashed orange and coursed with lightning when Kyla and Arya explained how they had been kidnapped by the Logos Order. The colossal guardian then declared, “I would be more than happy to help you deal with your enemies. If you ever require assistance and can find me, then be sure to let me know what I can do.”

            Elena smiled back up at Pelagia and replied, “We will do so if possible. Now, would you be so kind as to fulfill your end of our bargain.”

            Pelagia nodded his massive head and then began to turn around. Kyla realized that the immense creature intended for them to climb onto his back. Once Pelagia was lined up with the platform, he said, “Climb aboard! My designers intended me to be able to act a mobile bridge. Just make sure to not hit any of the objects rimming my head. I might suddenly change direction if you do.”

            Kyla hopped aboard and admitted, “If I could ever return to this place, I would love to paint it. It has quite an interesting aesthetic.”

            As Zig, Elena, Juliana and then finally Arya climbed aboard Pelagia, the golem responded, a degree of sadness in his telepathic voice, “This place was once the most luxurious vacation spot in the peninsula. One day, it will reclaim its former glory. Seeing this place the way it used to be again, that is my greatest hope. … If you are an artist, you should talk to Quadratus, I am sure that he would love to speak with you.”

            As the group rode Pelagia away from the platform they had warped on to, Pelagia continued, “Zig, you said that your people are in need of a new homeland. This peninsula is still considered cursed by many in this world. We have so far been unable to convince the mortals of this world to migrate back here, they are still too superstitious I am afraid. If you wanted a new home for your Darcsens, this region could be a good choice?”

            Zig admitted, “It seems secluded and well-defended, at least. I will have to see more of it and look at other candidate lands. I don’t want to make such a critical decision in haste….”

            Kyla sensed once again that something was eating at Zig. However, she was focused on getting a good look at Pelagia’s domain before they departed it.

            Juliana asked Pelagia, “Before we head for the Shrine of Worship, I am curious. Are there any other humans, or other mortals, in this land right now?”

            Pelagia responded, “As of now, there are only two. They are currently staying with the two Scout Colossi, the smallest of our kind. One of them I could tell you a story about that would surely surprise you. It involves a maiden, a spirit of death and a horse, a wonderfully loyal horse. The maiden is the other human who resides in this realm now. Otherwise, it is only the animals and us sixteen colossi. I will alert Lord Malus to your presence once you have left. He will inform the others, so that they are not surprised to see you.”

            Pelagia then helped Kyla and her allies to leave his domain and begin to make their way towards the Shrine of Worship. After the five travelers were helped out of Pelagia’s domain and said goodbye to the guardian colossus, they trekked south and made their way across a land bridge over a chasm. The travelers then found themselves on an open plain with a massive stone tower at the center.

            Kyla pointed to the tower and said, “That must be the shrine of Worship. Pelagia was right, we really could not miss it.”

            Zig pointed out, “There are three more of those behemoths near the shrine.”

            Kyla did indeed sense three auras nearby. As they began to walk around the shrine of worship to try and find an entrance, they saw a massive equine being sitting on all fours on the other side of the shrine. Closer to them were a pair of the massive creatures. One of them looked like a massive horned bovine with its mouth hidden behind an armored plate. The other was an almost doll-like humanoid with one hand replaced by a pillar of stone in the shape of a sword.

            Elena was clearly marveling at the colossi. She mentioned, “The magical energy it must have taken to perpetually animate these creatures must have been well beyond the powers of any normal arcanist. The fact that they have auras akin to those of conventionally living creatures also begs further study.”

            Arya chimed in, “I just wonder what Pelagia meant when he said that he had been dead before? I have never heard of the dead being returned to life.”

            Zig suggested, “If these colossi are like living machines, maybe they were ‘broken’ and then ‘repaired?’ That could have been what Pelagia meant?”

            As the group was nearing the front of the shrine, they began to see an entrance with stairs leading up to it. Then, the two nearby colossi began to slowly turn towards the visitors and look down at them. These two had glowing blue eyes, unlike Pelagia.

            The male voice of the bull colossus echoed in the traveler’s minds, as Elena began to cast her translation spell on both of them. “I guess that Pelagia was telling the truth we he said that we had visitors.”

            The humanoid colossus looked at his bovine compatriot and asked, “As odd as Pelagia is, why would he outright lie? I know that he is desperate for us to have new visitors, but I think that telling a falsehood is beneath him.”

            Zig was looking up at the giant automatons in awe, as were Juliana and Arya. Kyla took the initiative and asked the colossi, “We were told by Pelagia that we could rest in that shrine. We could use a place to stay until we figure out what our next move is. Will you allow us to rest in the shrine?”

            The bull colossus responded, “Our leader, Lord Malus, was the one who informed us of your arrival. He has already informed us that you can stay in the shrine as long as you agree to go before him tomorrow. You will have to explain who you are and what you want or need from us to him.”

            The sword-wielding colossus added. “You can rest assured that I will keep watch over the shrine during the night so that your rest is not disturbed. That said, I doubt anyone in this peninsula would want to harm you.”

            At that point, Kyla noticed that the equine colossus, whose body was designed to resemble a living skeleton, had stood up and was approaching them. The titanic horse stood nearby and a female voice asked, “Apparently, you five are from world’s entirely separate from our own. Your clothing and gear show that clearly. To add, two of you look alien to anything we have seen. Of course, we must look alien to you as well in terms of both size and appearance. That said, your presence here begs questions that even I did not bother to contemplate earlier. There is much I could ask you. However, your full questioning will be left to Lord Malus.”

            Kyla realized that Lord Malus commanded the respect of his subjects to the point where nobody questioned his right to decide the travelers’ fate. She wondered what the ruler of the colossi would look like and what powers he possessed.

            The bull colossus then spoke up, As Elena cast her translation spell on the equine titan. He said, “Oh dear, we were so rude before. We forgot to mention our names. I am Quadratus, the swordsman is Gaius and the horse is Phaedra.”

            Phaedra then nodded and added, “Quadratus was right about our rudeness before. You all are likely in need of rest anyways. Why don’t the five of you enter the shrine and rest. Tomorrow, you will need to go and visit Lord Malus. Fortunately, he used his magic to repair the bridges to his cliffside so that mortals could reach him again.”

            Elena seemed intrigued and asked the three colossi, “If your lord is a magic-user, then was he the one responsible for your creation?”

            The three colossi’s auras darkened and then Gaius responded, “Our Lord is not our creator. Our creator is thankfully gone from this place and this world. We all hope that they will never return, for they are our greatest enemy and the feeling is mutual.”

            Elena looked sheepish, even though Kyla thought her question had been reasonable. Juliana then suggested, “Why don’t we enter the shrine now and leave these…folks to their business. We could use a safe rest and Elena can work on the recharging the DWD and deciphering its secrets while we are there.”

            As the travelers made their way into the shrine, Phaedra mentioned, “The mortals who now live amongst us have stockpiled some food in the shrine. However, we would prefer that you could eat your own rations first.”

            Kyla nodded and then mentioned to Quadratus, “Pelagia said that you were interested in art. I am a bit of a painter myself, it is kind of therapeutic for me to be honest.”

            The colossal bull’s aura flared with excitement and he said to Kyla, “We should talk sometime after you meet with Lord Malus. I believe that he will allow you to stay here. He is far from unreasonable.”

            Kyla then followed the other travelers inside of the Shrine of Worship. Once they were inside, they noticed a number of destroyed statues and a single altar. There was also a spiral ramp leading upwards at the back of shrine nearby a small pool of water.

            Kyla and her comrades were relieved to have a place to stay where they were not in immediate danger. However, they all knew that somewhere in this world, there was likely to be an active operation of the Logos Order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should note that this story takes place not long after the events of Soul of the Colossus. The colossi characterizations and other references will hopefully make sense to someone who has read that story. I should also note that I decided that Wander and Mono did not fit all that well into my plans for this story. I decided to focus this part of the crossover on the colossi themselves. Anyway, I hope that anyone reading this is enjoying the story so far.


	11. The Shrine of Worship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes some rough recounting of the events of some of my earlier Pokémon Mystery Dungeon based stories that come become this story in the timeline. Most of that information should be at least somewhat familiar to anyone who has read the PMD stories of mine listed in this story's opening notes. Still, this chapter is pretty short and I would suggest still reading it rather than skipping over it.

            It was evening and everyone had just finished up dinner. Kyla and her allies were sitting in a circle on the floor near the front of the Shrine of Worship. They still did not know who the towering structure had been built to honor. However, they were now sitting safely within its walls.

            Kyla sensed the auras of four of the colossal stone beings who were acting as their hosts just outside of the shrine. One of the auras was new to Kyla and had arrived only recently. It seemed to belong to a lizard like creature of far shorter stature then the other colossi. Kyla sensed a fifth aura farther in the distance, it seemed to be moving back and forth across one elevated area just directly to the south of the Shrine.

            Elena and Juliana had decided to finally change into extra clothes they had packed before their initial infiltration of the House Arthus Arcane Tower. Elena had been quietly upset about wearing the same clothes for the last two days straight. Elena was now wearing a dark blue shirt and a black skirt. Juliana was wearing a robin’s egg blue shirt and a skirt that matched Elena’s. As for Zig, he had taken off his armor like Juliana had and was wearing a black shirt, his usual pants and his usual Darcsen scarf.

            Elena looked over her companions and then eyed Kyla and Arya. She then asked, “I think that it’s about time we set the record straight on something. Kyla, Arya you two knew each other before this. However, you have made it clear that you are not friends. I would like to know more about your life stories. Especially now that Zig, Juliana and I have talked so much about our lives.”

            Kyla and Arya looked over to each other and both of them sighed. Kyla decided to begin before Arya could say anything. She told the humans, “Arya and I fought on opposite sides of a war in our world. A war that my side won. We did briefly fight alongside each other in a later conflict against a greater mutual foe that threatened our entire world.”

            Arya then interjected, “I was a high-ranking member of the Imperium, the losing side of the war. Even though I did not learn the truth until recently, Kyla slew the Imperium’s leader, my fiancé, in the concluding battle of the war. When I learned, almost by accident, that Kyla was the one who killed by leader and love, I traveled to her home city to confront her. After I challenged her to a non-lethal duel, we went out into the nearby woods. That was where Tom Arthus and his Logos Order goons ambushed and captured the two of us. Now that I think about it, I wonder why he indicated that his master wanted us captured? Did the master of the Logos Order want to learn more about us through dissection, or was there another reason?”

            Elena pointed out, “As much as I would also like to know for sure why you two were abducted, what I would like to know now is more about your pasts and how they intersect.”        

            Juliana added, “Kyla killed Arya’s fiancé? Still, Arya mentioned him leading a group called the Imperium. That sounds like an empire. I think we should all know by now that nothing good ever happens in an empire.”

            Zig seemed slightly perplexed by the revelation Arya had just shared. He decided to remain silent.

            Kyla said, “I guess I will tell my side of the story and then Arya can tell hers.”

            After Arya nodded, Kyla began to tell her life story. She started with being raised by her mother, Marina, in a shack in the wilderness nearby Polumbos Town. She then described Marina’s disappearance and then how Kyla had been mistrustful of civilization and joined a gang of outlaws in order to survive. Kyla then went over her time in the gang and her arrest, followed by the year she spent in prison. After that, the story took on a more hopeful tone as she talked about moving to Polumbos Town and how a bet she made in anger led to her forming a team with the Pokémon Adventurers Guild. After that, she went over becoming romantically involved with her teammate Chadwick, meeting her friends Stephan and Delilah and their early adventures. Then, the Imperium finally came into the picture as Kyla talked about her having been captured during an expedition to scout of a city taken by their Legion. She then revealed how she finally met her biological father, Geoffrey, while a prisoner of the Imperium. She explained how Marina had fled the Imperium and then was kidnapped while Kyla had been briefly away. Oddly enough, the same gang that had been hired to kidnap Marina was the one Kyla joined later. Kyla went on to talk about her reunion with her mother and the war with the Imperium that had ensued. She proudly described her team’s battle with the Legendary Groudon and how she had dealt the final blow in that encounter. She explained how Groudon then helped the Alliance Territory to assemble an army big enough to challenge the Imperium’s Legion in open battle. Eventually, she came to the liberation of Lugia and then, the climactic battle against Mewtwo in the Imperial City, formerly known as Hillcrest.

            Zig seemed to freeze up when Kyla mentioned Mewtwo’s plan to use a human-made nuclear weapon to threaten Polumbos Town. Juliana and Elena remained focused on Kyla as she described how Geoffrey had remotely detonated the launched missile to save Polumbos Town. She then tearfully described how her father was subsequently killed by Mewtwo, the leader he had loyally served for years. Kyla said that she had slain Mewtwo to avenge her father and end Mewtwo’s plans for global domination.

            Kyla decided to stop after explaining the defeat of the Imperium, her marriage to Chadwick and the birth of their first two children. She had decided that it was time for Arya to tell her side of the story.

            Arya looked over at Kyla and then to the others. She sighed deeply and said, “It’s my turn now, isn’t it? Well then, let me tell you my side of things.”

            Arya described her early life in Hillcrest Village, the deaths of her adventurer parents and how she accidently found Mewtwo with her friends and released him from an underground human bunker. She then talked about the formation of the Imperium and her relationship with Mewtwo. After that, Arya went on to talk about the Imperium’s goals of spreading civilization and peace, even as she admitted that some of their methods used were less than ideal. Arya then talked about her side’s losing the war against the Alliance Territory. She explained how her old friend Valeria had rebelled against what was left of the Imperium after Mewtwo’s death. Arya said that she had been tried and imprisoned for her role in the Imperium. After her release from prison, she had been banished from Hillcrest City and had moved out to the wild Frontier Continent to live as a hermit. Arya then told of how she had been captured by the servants of the rogue Legendary Kyurem. After that, she had nearly been sacrificed by the former Imperium officer turned cult leader Salazar. Arya then went over the Anarchos crisis and how the Legendary Giratina had been unintentionally framed for the depredations of the evil chaos god. Arya finished by describing her friendship with the Guild adventurer Aurora and how the conflict with Anarchos had concluded in an epic battle with the mad god that Kyla had also taken part in along with her husband and children.

            After Arya finished, Elena looked over at her and then at Kyla and said, “I am sorry, Arya, but I think that Kyla was right. This Imperium of yours might have had good intentions. However, I do not believe that even the best of intentions can justify suppressing the freedoms of others. Whether or not you were being manipulated by Mewtwo, your world seems better off without that society and its machinations.”

            Juliana quickly added, “Elena is not wrong. However, I still do not think you are evil, Arya. You have never shown me any cruel desires and you saved that whole truck full of Darcsens earlier after showing no real hesitation about helping them in the first place. When the Imperials tracked us down, you also provided good covering fire. You even tried to cover Kyla’s escape through the first portal, despite your antipathy towards her.”

            Zig chimed in, “Kyla and Arya might have reason to hate each other. However, they have both been able to put aside their conflict for the sake of the tasks at hand. Both of them have been good comrades for us in this journey. I was a Lieutenant in my unit and I know from firsthand experience that having the members of your squad respect each other is critical to success in battle.”

            Kyla told Arya, “I think that all three of them make good points. We need to stick together for now and focus on finding a way back home and stopping the Logos Order. With any luck, we will get on Lord Malus’s good side tomorrow.”

            Arya replied, “I think you are saying they all had good points because they mostly agreed with you. However, you are right about us needing to avoid infighting. Also, Juliana, thank you for what you said before. I do appreciate it, even if you think that the Imperium was in the wrong. Honestly, I am pretty used to scorn and criticism regarding my past by now.”

            Kyla could still sense some hostility towards Arya emanating from Elena through her aura. However, she decided not to mention it out loud.

            The five travelers got out their sleeping bags a few hours after dinner when night fell outside. Elena had spent some time earlier recharging the DWD, just in case they needed to make another portal appear soon. They then all decided to trust their colossal hosts and get some rest without posting a watch. They figured that the colossi could not even easily reach inside, even if they wanted to hurt them. If the colossi betrayed them, it was not like the five travelers stood a chance in a fair fight anyway. They would most likely have to use the DWD to escape to another dimension if threatened.

            Kyla fell asleep in her sleeping bag happy that Elena and Juliana had at least agreed with her that the Imperium had needed to be stopped. Unlike the two girls, Zig had not seemed openly committed to either side. As Kyla fell asleep, she wondered how their meeting with Lord Malus the next day would go. She also wondered if the leader of the colossi would know anything about the Logos Order’s presence in this world.


	12. Lord Malus

            Kyla woke up in her sleeping bag on the floor of the mysterious Shrine of Worship. Stretching out her arms, she looked outside and saw that it was light out. Seeing that her four companions were still all sleeping, Kyla got out of her sleeping bag and then walked outside and down one of the shrine’s two staircases.

            Kyla smiled happily as she saw the world’s sun rising in the sky just above the tall series of cliffs in the distance. After watching the rising sun for a moment, Kyla’s Aura Sense picked up a creature closing in on her. She turned away from the sun and saw an immense lizard whose body crackled with energy approaching her. Kyla had noticed the reptilian colossus outside of the shrine last evening. However, she had not learned the name of the stone gecko yet.

            The enormous reptile, who was still far shorter than the other colossi Kyla had seen in this mysterious land, seemed to be observing Kyla carefully, almost sizing her up.

            As Kyla was waiting for the gargantuan lizard to say something, she scanned the area and picked up the auras of the three colossi that had been standing nearby the shrine the day before. The bull-like Quadratus was not far away, the equine Phaedra was on the other side of the shrine and the humanoid Gaius was dutifully patrolling in a circle around the shrine.

            Kyla then heard a crackling male voice in her head. The gecko’s voice asked, “You’re one of our visitors from another world, aren’t you? Lord Malus will be ready to speak with you soon. However, before he is ready to meet with your little group I am curious about one thing.”

            Kyla tried speaking to the gecko using her thoughts, she asked him, “Alright, what are you so curious about? You should tell me your name first, so that I can properly address you.”

            The giant lizard nodded his enormous head and then responded, “I am Kuromori, the scaler of walls. My question for you involves something that Pelagia told Lord Malus, who then relayed it to the rest of our kind. Apparently, some organization calling themselves the ‘Logos Order’ is chasing you and your companions. I am curious as what those people could want both with you all and in general?”

            Kyla wondered what had triggered Kuromori’s specific curiosity. However, she decided to answer the colossus as best as she could, telling him, “As far as I know, they have been kidnapping beings from across multiple dimensions. They may be doing so for research purposes at the behest of someone powerful they only refer to as their master. To be fair, me and one of my ‘allies’ may have been their only victims so far. However, we were rescued, which indirectly led into our arrival in your world.”

            Kuromori then declared, “If you ever are in a position to plan a counterattack against the Logos Order, then I would be more than happy to join in. I have never run away from a challenge in my life, even if I have jumped into at least one too quickly. My size is far from my only advantage in a fight and I have been in numerous battles in my life. Also, I have an old friend who I could probably convince to join the fight and he is quite imposing.”

            Kyla briefly enjoyed the mental image of hapless Logos Order soldiers fleeing a small unit of angry, nigh-unstoppable, colossi. She then saw Kuromori glow briefly and noticed Elena leading the others down the stairs.

            Elena, who had just cast her translation spell on Kuromori asked Kyla, “Why are you up so early?”

            Kyla looked up at her companions and replied, “I always try to watch the sunrise in the morning. It’s a tradition I learned from my mother when I was young. I am not about to let being in a foreign dimension stop me from engaging in my morning ritual.”

            Arya then chimed in, “I remember that actually. I saw Kyla’s mother, Marina, watching the sunrise the first morning I ever met her. …That morning was also when Kyla’s parents first met.”

            Kyla froze up a bit, she had never known that Arya had known her mother for any length of time. As Kyla was considering saying something, she noticed the aura of the massive horse, Phaedra, approaching them from the other side of the shrine. Quadratus and Gaius were also coming closer.

            When all four colossi had gathered around Kyla and her companions, Phaedra announced, “Lord Malus has informed us that he will soon be ready to meet with you five. When he is ready, he will make sure that your way to him is apparent. Follow the light he sends you and you will reach him and his sentinel, Argus, safely.”

            As the whole group nodded, Juliana asked the colossi, “What do you think your Lord will ask us?”

            Gaius responded, “He will most likely just want to make sure that you have no ill intentions. He will likely have some interest in how you entered our world and if, or when, you plan to leave.”

            Kyla and her companions decided to eat a quick breakfast to prepare for their trip to meet with Lord Malus. Soon after they had eaten, Quadratus mentioned that they could leave their packs in the Shrine of Worship. The five travelers’ belongings would be kept safe while they were away.

            It was not long after breakfast when a six-pronged sigil of pure light appeared nearby and began to move south. Phaedra explained, “The appearance of that Sigil of Supren means that Lord Malus is ready to meet with you. Follow it and you will reach him. Remember to be respectful and mindful that you are guests in our homeland.”

            Kyla and her compatriots, unburdened by heavy packs, began to follow the sigil of light away from the Shrine of Worship.

            Once the five of them were some distance away from the Shrine and the four colossi, Juliana decided to ask Kyla, “Hey, Kyla, I know that you mentioned before that you are married. What is your relationship with your husband like?”

            Kyla remembered that Juliana had shown curiosity about her family earlier. The young priestess had even attempted to ask her about motherhood the day before. She then replied, “Chadwick, my husband, is very different from me, to be honest. He is formal and polite most of the time. However, he is certainly capable of showing intense emotion when it is called for. He was raised in a somewhat wealthy family and prides himself on his manners. While he does not like to offend others, he is proud of his home. He can also be impressively brave, even by my standards. He was the unofficial leader of my adventuring team before and during the war with the Imperium. I would trust his judgement in a variety of tactical situations.”

            Juliana awkwardly asked, “So that’s what sort of person Chad is. Still, I did ask what your relationship with him is like, not what he is like as an individual.”

            Kyla replied, “I was getting to that. In terms of our relationship, Chad once told me, soon after we were wed, that he loves me because I challenge him. He knows that I am less formal and honestly far more impulsive than he is. However, he finds my difference in upbringing and behavior more interesting than frustrating. He has admitted that he would not be as happy and engaged in a relationship with someone who behaves like he does. He sees being with me as rewarding because of how we love each other despite our differences. Frankly, I feel the same way. We have always done our best to see the good in each other come what may. We challenge each other, and are stronger for it.”

            Juliana said, “I see. Thank you, Kyla. That was very enlightening.”

            Kyla smiled, she had a solid idea of why Juliana had asked her question. However, she decided that it was for the best to keep it to herself for the time being.

            As Kyla and her allies continued walking through the canyon, Kyla began to pick up two powerful auras not far from their position. She informed the others, “I am sensing two auras. One is like the other colossi. However, the other might be one of the most powerful auras I have ever sensed. We need to all be on our best behavior. If the latter aura is Lord Malus, we do not want to make an enemy of him.”

            As the group found themselves at a bridge, Zig said, “Maybe we can persuade this Lord Malus of the righteousness of our cause? If he is as powerful as you say he is and he commands the loyalty of the colossi, he would make a truly exceptional ally.”

            Arya added, “We will just have to answer whatever questions he asks us truthfully. We have to hope that he is as magnanimous as his followers believe he is.”

            Kyla and her allies crossed the bridge and then soon found themselves walking up a path that culminated in a large series of what looked like small defensive stone barricades. They saw first a massive animalistic humanoid carrying a cleaver-like sword standing guard not far from them. However, their attention was soon turned to a titanic human-like figure with glowing energy emanating from rings on his arms. The colossus looked to be rooted to the ground and was wearing a massive skirt-like stone and metal robe over his “legs.” His upper body was covered by stone armor and his head was covered by a horned helm.

            Elena was speechless in awe and Juliana had to prod her to get her to stop gaping at the grand golem. With the eyes of both colossi on them, the five travelers followed the glowing sigil forward, closer to the stationary titan.

The sigil soon vanished as a dignified male voice could be heard in the heads of all five travelers, saying, “You are in the presence of the great Lord Malus. Be honored that he has granted you this audience.”

            The taller colossus waved a hand at the shorter humanoid in an acknowledging way and telepathically said, chuckling slightly, “Thank you, Argus. You never fail to introduce me in the grandest of terms. Now, it is time that we learn who our guests are and what their purpose in this land is.”

            Kyla considered stepping forward to address Lord Malus, knowing that the taller colossus had to be him. However, she knew that her strong-willed personality might preclude her from being an ideal representative.

            Arya then stepped forward and did her best to bow to Lord Malus. Elena, realizing what was about to happen, cast her translation spell on Lord Malus.

            Arya looked up at their massive host, approached him slightly and then began, “Lord Malus, master of this land and leader of the colossi, we are travelers from other worlds who have had the good fortune to arrive in your domain by accident. We came here in desperation, seeking respite from the Logos Order, an organization which seems to have foul plans afoot. The Logos Order has been chasing us ever since myself and the other non-human in our group were rescued from their clutches. We mean you and your kind no harm and wish only to stay in your land until we can find a way to safely and accurately transport ourselves to another world.”

            Argus the Sentinel nodded approvingly at Arya after she finished her speech. Lord Malus then looked down at Arya and responded, “I am impressed that you were fully prepared to address me and in such grand terms as well. Whatever sort of creature you are, you are far more intelligent and well-spoken than a mere animal.”

            Arya simply smiled, nodded and replied, “I had been planning what I might say ever since I knew that we were to have an audience with your Lordship.”

            Lord Malus then continued, “If you all are travelers from another world, then by chance there is something I should tell you. You see, I am the shaman and mage among my kind, as well as our leader. Someone has been slightly disrupting the spiritual forces of this world through means unknown to even one as knowledgeable as myself. I have at least pinpointed the location of the disturbances. It seems as though they are coming from somewhere in the skies above the ocean to the south of this peninsula. Whatever this is, it is beyond the range of both my offensive magic and my telepathy. I have considered sending my Talon to investigate. However, I have not decided if it is worth it to risk her on such an investigation.”

            Elena then stepped forward and asked the leader of the colossi, “Lord Malus, do you believe that the Logos Order could be behind the disturbances? I can tell you that it is likely that they have an operation somewhere in this world. Perhaps, our interests align? Assuming that the Logos Order is behind whatever is troubling you, that is.”

            Lord Malus turned his attention to Elena and told her, “I sense great power within you. However, your potential has not yet been fully realized. On the subject of the disturbances and their source, if you have reason to believe that your enemies are behind them, then maybe we can help each other? The disturbances have been small so far. However, if they were to grow more intrusive, they could impair my own power and that of other shamans. Would you be willing to accompany my Talon to investigate the source of the disturbances?”      

            Elena thought aloud, “If it is a Logos Order operation, then we could both weaken them and steal documents that may help me operate the DWD more efficiently…. Lord Malus, if your ‘Talon’ can help us reach the source of the disturbances you speak of, then we will assist in the investigation.”

            Juliana nodded, saying, “I will trust Elena’s judgement in this case.”

            Zig added, “I will lend my strength to this mission. You will see what results we can achieve, Lord Malus.”

            Kyla finished, “My own senses and skills should come in handy as well. We will depart whenever you would like us to. I can only assume that in exchange, you will let us stay in your land for as long as we need to?”

            Lord Malus nodded his enormous head and responded, “It is settled then. You should return to the old Shrine of Worship to retrieve your things. My Talon, Avion, will meet you there. She will act as your conveyance to the source of the disturbances.”

            The five travelers all bowed to the lord of the colossi and then trekked back to the Shrine of Worship. They were not surprised to find that the colossi there were aware of the arrangement with Lord Malus. The leader of the colossi seemed to have the power to instantly communicate with his followers over long distances using telepathy.

            Kyla and the others all entered the towering shrine and put on their packs. They then made sure their weapons were ready and those with armor donned theirs.

Elena changed back into pants from her skirt and mentioned, as they were leaving the shrine, “Be advised that the guns we have only have limited ammunition. We basically have no way to restock it beyond what we have packed while we are in this world. So, be careful how much ammo you use up and try to use supernatural attacks and melee weapons when you can.”

Kyla then announced, as they stepped outside and saw the four colossi all looking up at the sky “I am sensing a new aura. It is coming in fast…”

Juliana’s jaw dropped as Elena exclaimed, “Whoever created these colossi actually got one to fly? What sort of magic did that take?”

Kyla, Arya and Zig were also a bit stunned as a massive bird colossus, complete with an opening and closing beak, landed in front of the shrine and looked at the five travelers.

Avion, the Talon of Malus, looked at the surprised visitors to her homeland and telepathically declared, “Climb aboard! My Lord has ordered me to convey you into the sky. We will investigate the disturbances that have been troubling him together.”

As Elena cast her translation spell on Avion, Kyla smiled. She thought, “This will be just one more crazy story to tell when this whole mess is over.”


	13. A Battle Amongst the Clouds

            Kyla and her four traveling companions had all just climbed aboard the bird colossus Avion. They all stood on her upper back, just behind her armored head. The titanic flyer told her passengers. “Hold on tight!” Avion then took off, creating an intense downdraft below her.

            The warrior colossus Gaius called out telepathically, “Best of luck!” Avion then began to fly south with her riders holding on to her as tightly as they could.

The avian colossus stayed as level as possible to minimize the chance that anyone would fall off of her and have to be caught before impacting the ground. While holding on to the grass like “fur” on Avion’s back, Kyla looked around and noticed a vaguely draconic serpent flying across the sky in the distance above a sandy desert. The serpent looked far larger than Avion from what Kyla could tell.

It was not long until Avion flew above Lord Malus’s clifftop and then continued flying south. The immense bird telepathically said to her riders, “We do not know what form the disturbances will take. However, whatever is causing them may very well be actively hostile. Be ready for a fight.”

Juliana replied, “We will be ready. I wonder how connected these disturbances are to the Logos Order?”

Arya said, “Whether or not this ends up being linked to our enemies, we made a deal with the ruler of this region. We need to do what we said we would do.”

Elena added, “If the source of the disturbances is connected to the Logos Order, then we can hopefully not only put an end to it, but we can also loot resources and documents from them.”

Kyla then noticed that Avion was steadily flying higher and higher above the waters below. They were closing in on a large bank of clouds that seemed almost unnatural. The dark clouds were all clustered around an area smaller than they would normally be spread over. Also, no rain or snow was falling from them.

Avion plunged into the cloud bank and flew through it towards the apparent center.  When the bird colossus burst through, the group found themselves inside the “eye of the storm.” They were faced with a massive dark green vehicle in the shape of a long cylinder. The vehicle had a series of connected cabins mounted just below it and a metal structure with a glass dome mounted on top of it towards its front.

As Avion closed in on the massive transport, Zig called out, “The source of the disturbances is an airship?”

            Kyla could sense multiple clusters of auras aboard the airship, which began to rapidly turn away from Avion. Kyla called out, “They have detected our approach. They seem to be preparing for battle!”

            Avion replied, “I will see how close I can get you. That machine is turning away from us and exposing one of its longer sides. You will need to be careful jumping from my back on to it.”

            Elena then pointed out, “I see some gantries on the lower sides nearby the cabins. …More importantly I see the symbol of the House Arthus painted on the airship’s side.”

            Kyla saw a massive circular symbol outlined in gold on the now visible side of the airship. The symbol featured a bird on its lower left side, a sword on its lower right side and a staff sparking with energy coming up through its center.

            Kyla then sensed anticipation and determination in a series of auras that had begun to line the outer gantry facing Avion. She shouted, “They are preparing to attack us!”

            Zig shouted, “Stay down, everyone!” As he spoke, two trails of machine gun fire erupted from the lower side of the airship.

            Avion proudly declared, as the streams of bullets failed to cause her any harm, “They will have to do better than that to hurt me!”

            At that point, Kyla said, “I think they are aware of that now…”

            A large anti-armor shell nearly struck Avion, flying just past one of the colossus’ wings. Zig called out, “We cannot afford to get hit by one of those shells!”

            Avion began to dodge and weave as she neared the airship. A second shell from a heavy cannon missed her thanks to her evasive actions. Kyla briefly stood up and sighted one of the two heavy cannons taking aim at Avion. She then conjured up an Aura Sphere and fired it into the cannon just as a new shell was being loaded by its gunners. The artillery piece exploded from the impact and Kyla shouted, “That’s one down!” She then ducked as machine gun fire flew over her head.

            Bullets were still flying at Avion and her riders from both the two machine guns and a number of infantry rifles. The House Arthus soldiers on board the airship had formed an impromptu firing line and were taking pot shots at the bird colossus, hoping to hit one of her passengers.

            As Avion was almost to the airship, she telepathically said to her riders, “You will need to jump off and board the enemy vehicle. I will support you as best as I can and try to draw their fire.”

            Kyla realized that Avion was now making a well-calculated diving pass at the nearest section of gantry. She stood up and got ready to jump.

            Zig saw a cluster of House Arthus soldiers preparing to intercept the boarders. He shouted to Kyla, “Kyla, try the secondary trigger on your SMG! Sweep with that and it should clear out a few of them in one shot!”

            Kyla nodded and then, when Avion closed in on her target, she leapt off of the flying colossus and onto the gantry.

            As Arya and Zig landed right behind Kyla, three nearby House Arthus soldiers took aim at the intruders with their rifles. Kyla held down the secondary trigger on her Sub-Machine gun and a plume of blue ragnite fire erupted from the weapon. Kyla swept the fire across all three enemies, rapidly burning them alive.  

            As Kyla could not help but grin, having discovered her weapons’ other capability. She saw a door open behind them. A heavily armored House Arthus soldier carrying a portable machine gun emerged, but he was soon roasted by a Fire Blast from Arya.

            Avion, with Elena and Juliana still onboard her, made another pass at the gantry where Kyla, Arya and Zig were standing. Elena and Juliana jumped and Elena summoned a person-sized hand of force in midair to give them an extra boost. Elena’s spell helped ensure that they both landed on the gantry just behind the others.

            As the House Arthus infantry soldiers advanced down the gantry, Avion began to hover and try to distract them with gusts of howling wind from her wings. However, the bird colossus took a cannon shell to the chest and staggered back in the air.

            As Kyla’s group began to charge the enemy infantry, with Juliana and Zig in front, Avion’s voice echoed in their minds, “I am going to have to retreat. Please silence that artillery piece to make sure I can escape to tell Lord Malus and the others what has happened. We will send someone for you as soon as we can. Best of luck taking out the enemies onboard.”

            Kyla saw the remaining artillery cannon in the distance firing a shell at the now-retreating Avion. The shell thankfully missed this time. However, Kyla ensured it would not fire again by sniping it with an Aura Sphere as the next shell was being loaded. Just like the first, time Kyla’s attack caused the heavy cannon to explode.

            Juliana and Zig charged at a small unit of House Arthus soldiers who had readied swords and shields. The melee troops were doing their best to protect their rifle-wielding comrades just behind them from the advancing travelers.

            As the two front lines met, Arya started looking for an opening through which she could launch Flamethrower attacks at the enemy backline.

            As bullets flew past Kyla and Elena projected one of her force shields, Kyla also looked for a way into the fight. Elena then placed a hand on Kyla’s back and told her, “Get a running start and jump over the melee. That pulse attack of yours should be great against the enemy backline.”

            Kyla began to glow, she then rushed forward and leapt over the melee as Zig sliced a House Arthus soldier in half with his greatsword. Bullets flew past Kyla as she moved with supernatural speed and grace. As the cluster of House Arthus troops tried to reload their rifles, Kyla charged right into them and detonated a Dragon Pulse that wiped out four of them in one blast.

            The remaining melee soldiers were distracted and quickly taken out by Kyla’s four comrades. Arya then blasted an enemy rifleman off of the gantry with a Flamethrower before he could take accurate aim at Kyla. Elena bombarded the last two enemy riflemen with a storm of summoned boulders, clearing the troops on that portion of gantry out.

            Kyla rapidly scanned the area with her Aura Sense and called out, “There are two clusters of auras left on this ship. The lower cluster is just ahead of us in the front most cabin. The upper cluster seems to include multiple arcanists and is situated in that top-mounted structure we saw during our approach.”

            Zig pointed out, “They are probably sticking together, rather than splitting up, for the sake of having a stronger defensive advantage.”

            Elena added, “I am willing to bet that the main control bridge is up ahead. That blister at the top where the arcanists are is likely the source of the disturbances the leader of the colossi was concerned about. We should secure the bridge and then advance on the top blister. Our ultimate goal should be defeating the enemy arcanists and recovering any useful documents that might be onboard this airship.”

            Juliana then said, “We cannot afford to waste time. The opposite side of this airship likely has its own pair of heavy cannons. If Avion, or someone else, comes to pick us up, they could still be in danger if any enemy crew members are still active when they arrive.”

            Zig mentioned, “Some of the gunners who survived our initial attack retreated inside of the airship.”

            Arya then finished, “We should waste no time pursuing them in that case. To the main bridge!”

            The five travelers made their way up the gantries towards the main bridge. Kyla sensed a trio of auras ahead just behind a door leading into an area just behind the main bridge. She told her allies to cover her and sent the door flying inwards off of its hinges with a solid kick.

            Two House Arthus heavy soldiers with portable machine guns stepped out from behind cover and prepared to open fire, with a heavy shield bearing soldier standing in front of them. However, Elena made a gesture that caused part of the ceiling above the three soldiers to rupture into shrapnel and come down on them.

            With her enemies distracted, Kyla rushed the soldier with the heavy shield. Even though Elena’s earlier spell had worn off, Kyla back flipped over the enemy. She then pummeled him with a series of Close Combat strikes from behind.    

            As Kyla’s target collapsed. One of the two gunners spun around and was about to take aim at Kyla. However, he was impaled from behind by Zig’s greatsword.

            The final gunner was about to fall back when he took a ray of purple light from Juliana and a Flamethrower from Arya and collapsed to the floor.

            Kyla smiled at Zig, seeing how he had prevented her from facing a hail of bullets. She then declared, “The main bridge is just ahead. Once we take it, we will have to deal with the enemies awaiting us in the top blister.”

            Kyla led her group down a short hallway and around a corner. There, they faced two guards with shotguns drawn and aimed. Kyla rushed one, taking a blast of buckshot to the chest in the process. Kyla was knocked onto her back by the shot.

Juliana rushed the other guard, her shield somewhat surprisingly holding up against a blast of buckshot. Juliana saw how injured Kyla was and stopped her charge. She stood above the wounded Lucario as Elena flung a dagger of ice into the foe whose buckshot blast had failed to penetrate Juliana’s shield.

            As Kyla was trying to stand up, now protected by Juliana, Arya stayed behind the nearby wall as Zig drew his rifle and opened fire on the shotgun wielding guards.

            Elena’s dagger of ice impacted the shotgunner in the chest and dropped her in one hit. Juliana then used her shield to block a second shotgun blast and reached down to channel a pulse of purple light into the wounded Kyla.

            Zigs ended up shooting the remaining House Arthus shotgunner in the arm. As she flinched in pain, the newly healed Kyla jumped up and rushed around Juliana.

            The shotgunner was about to draw her blade. However, Zig shot her in the leg, causing her to fall down to one knee. Kyla then impaled her foe in the chest with both Metal Claws, killing her.

            Arya soon emerged from behind the wall and told her allies, “I apologize for not helping with that fight. Let me make it up to you all…. stand back everyone!”

            Arya breathed a Fire Blast into the metal-reinforced bridge door, melting it into molten slag within seconds.

            Juliana then reached out and conjured a series of plates of force armor around Arya. The Ninetales had become the target of enemy fire coming from the bridge after the door was clear.

            Three unarmored airship crew members equipped with semi-automatic pistols and two House Arthus riflemen were opening fire on Arya and the others. Kyla flattened herself against the wall and readied her submachine gun.

            Zig, Elena and Kyla were all ready to attack when Arya asked, “Remember this trick?”

            Arya, whose force shield had protected her from a barrage of bullets, rushed towards the hole her Fire Blast had left and then unleashed a torrential Inferno of fire into the bridge. Her attack fried the airship’s controls and incinerated every enemy on the bridge.

            Elena smiled at Arya as Kyla and Zig lowered their weapons. Elena then reasoned out loud, “Arya, you knew that if any enemies got around us after we cleared the bridge they could retake control down here. You wanted to strand the airship here where our colossal allies could find us again. You may have an unpleasant imperialistic past, but your tactical logic is sound.”

            Arya nodded and added, “Having seen all that I have since this adventure began, I would not be surprised if this airship is somehow generating its own cloud cover. Regardless, you are right about my plan. I could have just killed them with Extrasensory. However, using Inferno served a double purpose.”

            Juliana looked somewhat unnerved by the scene of fiery carnage. She then said, “We should make our way to the upper blister now. The enemy will not necessarily wait for us there forever. We now know that the House Arthus is behind this airship’s presence in this world. That means that the Logos Order is at least tangentially involved.”

            As the five travelers searched for a way up to the upper levels of the airship’s superstructure, Kyla mentioned, “We are taking the fight to our enemies this time. It feels good to no longer be on the run.”

            It was not long until Juliana located a staircase leading up into the airship’s interior. The others followed her upwards and they made their way closer to the top-mounted blister where the remaining airship crew had gathered.


	14. The Arcane Research Station

            Juliana was leading Kyla, Zig, Arya and Elena up a staircase inside the superstructure of the House Arthus airship they had recently boarded. As the five travelers climbed the metal stairs, Kyla mentioned, “The cluster of auras has now separated into two groups. The first group is not far above us now. They seem to be ready for an attack. The second group is probably in that structure mounted on top of the airship. It seems to consist of four arcanists.”

            Elena said, “That top blister may very well be another arcane lab, like the one we stole our DWD from. We will need to be cautious and remember to avoid big blasts of energy.”

            Arya nodded to Elena and then replied, “I will be careful. I can only assume that the arcanists are relying on the crew members and regular soldiers to protect them because they view themselves as too important to risk? The House Arthus views its agents with arcane powers as important assets from what we have seen so far.”

            It was not long until the staircase lead to an opened metal door. Kyla told her allies, “The first cluster of six auras is just in that room. They will be prepared for us.”

            At that point, the travelers all heard footsteps. A pair of House Arthus soldiers with heavy shields and longswords rushed in to block the door. From behind them, Kyla sensed four more auras getting ready for a fight.

            The two melee soldiers held their position and then crouched down revealing two crewmen, a shotgunner and a rifleman.

            The rifleman and the two pistol-wielding crewmen opened fire. However, Zig and Juliana raised their shields and advanced on the front line.

            Kyla had an idea. She pushed past Juliana and Zig, taking two bullets to the stomach in the process. Kyla winced in pain, thanking Arceus that her body was reinforced beyond that of a human. She then raised her sub-machine gun.

Elena called out, “Kyla, No! The Flamethrower could ignite the gasses in here and blow us all up!”

Zig and Juliana rushed past the disappointed Kyla to cover her. Zig impressively dispatched both melee soldiers with one devastating swing of his Darcsen-patterned blade.

Elena then summoned a number of force fireworks and used them to bombard the House Arthus shotgunner until she dropped. Elena clearly remembered how much of an annoyance the last pair of shotgunners they had fought had been.

Juliana conjured some force armor for Kyla who then rushed into the metal-walled room. As her enemies tried to reload, Kyla charged the rifleman and buried her Metal Claws in his stomach.

The two remaining crewmen made a run for the door at the other end of the room. However, Arya charged in and took them both out with a single Extrasensory blast.

Zig, with his sword still at the ready, declared, “These guys are amateurs. They are no match for experienced fighters like the five of us.”

Elena added, “Those guys were probably fresh recruits and non-combatant crew members. However, the quartet of arcanists will likely be ready for us. They will probably not be wearing any armor. However, they will certainly be dangerous foes. Thankfully, they will also probably not want to use explosive magic in their own laboratory.”

Juliana said, “The door ahead looks be locked. We will have to see if we can get it open…”

Elena stretched out her hand and a ray of sparkling light zapped the door. The spell caused a previously invisible field of energy surrounding the door to shatter. Elena explained, “I had a feeling it would be magically warded against unwanted intrusion. Thankfully, I was prepared for that possibility. Arya, you’re up.”

Arya smiled and directed a small jet of fire at the door’s lock, melting it to cinders. Thankfully, there was no gas ignition from the small flame. The door was likely just past the gas filled chambers of the airship. Then, Juliana charged the door with the rest of the group right behind her.

            The metal door swung open revealing a dark green oval-shaped room roofed by the massive glass blister the travelers had seen before. Cabinets and lab tables dotted the room, along with various research implements akin to the ones in the lab at the House Arthus North Arcane Tower. Two House Arthus arcanists, one male and one female, stood in the center of the room with force shields up. Another male arcanist took cover behind a small, dark green, storage closet. Finally, a young human woman wearing the uniform of a House Arthus arcanist, but with shorter pants and fancier gold decorations, stood at the other side of the room. Her hair was orange-red and went down to her shoulders. She looked clearly irritated and declared, “It seems that we underestimated the intruders. Engage and defeat the enemy! We will not let them seize this vessel!”

            The other arcanists shouted, “Yes, Captain Heliopolis!”

            The five travelers all rushed into the room as the enemy arcanists prepared to cast their spells.  

            The two arcanists who had already force shielded themselves sent out bombardments of force fireworks. One targeted Arya and the other targeted Elena. Arya was pummeled by the magical blasts, but she withstood the attacks. Elena rapidly conjured a force shield around her, which deflected the enemy projectiles harmlessly in a number of directions.

            Kyla shouted to Zig, “Follow me, I think I can use the Flamethrower here without blowing us all away!”

            With her force armor still protecting her, Kyla charged the two arcanists in the center of the room. She was still wounded from before. However, she was determined to end this fight quickly.

            Kyla aimed her SMG’s Flamethrower attachment at the two shielded arcanists and sprayed them with blue ragnite flames. The ragnite fire burned away the pair’s force shields.

            Kyla then saw the hiding arcanist firing a ray of lighting at her. She was unable to dodge and her force armor was dispelled in a shower of electric arcs.

            Zig charged the two arcanists whose force shields had been wiped out by Kyla’s flamethrower. He then sliced into both of them with one mighty blow as Kyla ran for cover.

            Seeing that the male arcanist closer to them was behind effective cover, Juliana raised her longsword. The young priestess’s blade flashed with purple fire and the cabinet was suddenly consumed in a flash of purple flame that tore it to splinters.

            The arcanist who had been hiding behind the cabinet was soon eliminated by a targeted Flamethrower from Arya.

            When the travelers’ eyes turned to the arcanist captain, their final foe, they saw that she had been pulling a series of levers on control panels after conjuring a double-layered force shield around herself. The lead arcanist, now finding herself alone, angrily shouted, “You just killed all three of my research assistants! You do not realize whose wrath you have just brought down on your heads! The House Arthus council will be immensely displeased with your actions!”

            The young woman’s eyes lit up with arcane energy as Elena shouted, “I don’t think she knows who we are?”

            All five travelers had to duck out of the way as the arcanist captain summoned a massive bolt of lightning that she projected down the open center of the room, avoiding hitting her research implements. Zig, Arya and Juliana were all wounded by the attack. Kyla had just barely avoided the electric blast and Elena’s own force shield was destroyed by a direct hit from the lightning strike.

            Juliana channeled a small pulse of purple light into herself and then rushed at the arcanist captain. Elena meanwhile ran for cover and charged up her own lightning ray.

            Zig, injured but undeterred, charged in behind Juliana. Arya blasted through a layer of their foe’s force shielding with a Flamethrower.

            Kyla, now taking cover behind a lab table, aimed her SMG and unloaded her whole clip into the remaining layer of force shielding. Kyla minimized her weapon’s recoil and landed most of the clip onto her enemy’s defenses. The force shield was shattered by Kyla’s shots.

            The arcanist captain was now faced with a charging Juliana and Zig. She aimed out her hands and sent Zig flying back with a pulse of concentrated force.

            As Juliana neared the arcanist captain, Arya ran to Zig, who was on his back and badly weakened at this point. Elena then hurled her javelin of lighting into the arcanist captain. The young redhead collapsed to her knees, badly injured, as Juliana neared her.

            With her body badly singed by Elena’s attack, the arcanist captain quickly placed her hands on her head and told the travelers, “Fine, you win! I surrender! Spare my life and you can take what you want from this vessel.”

            As Zig began to stand up, Elena drew her pistol and took aim at the arcanist captain, saying, “Do not move a muscle!”

            Juliana produced the handcuffs that Elena had worn earlier when Kyla had first encountered the duo in the dungeon of the House Arthus North Arcane Tower. The arcanist captain then placed her hands behind her back and allowed Juliana to cuff her wrists.

            Juliana then made sure to distribute healing to her allies as Elena began to search the room with Arya in tow. Zig stood nearby their prisoner, keeping watch over her. Kyla reloaded her SMG and then asked the captured arcanist captain, “So, does this airship generate its own cloud cover?”

            The arcanist captain smiled and replied, “Yes it does. I assume that a translation spell was cast on you. You speak Austeanean quite well for…whatever you are.”

            Kyla sharply asked the prisoner, “How do we turn it off? Tell me the truth, I will know if you are lying.”

            The redhead directed Kyla to press a couple of control panel button and pull a lever. Kyla kept checking the captive’s aura to make sure that she was being honest with her. Surely enough, the magically conjured clouds began to disappear once Kyla had entered the correct control sequence.

            Then Elena pointed to a safe on one of the room’s walls and asked the prisoner, “What’s in here?”

            The arcanist captain replied, “Various documents, including warp device manuals and some Logos Order stuff. Honestly, I don’t much care for that cult my half-sister and Lord Thomas Arthus are so involved with. Still, I got this position thanks to them.”

            The arcanist captain then scowled as Elena fired another sparkling ray into the safe. The ray shattered two separate magical wards. Elena then smirked at her captive and told Arya, “Carefully burn through the lock. We will be looting this safe.”

            Arya nodded and then used carefully controlled jets of flame to burn through the safe’s mundane locking mechanisms. Elene then opened the safe and stuffed everything in it into her backpack.

            Juliana had finished distributing her healing when she asked, “What do we do now? We will have to wait for Lord Malus to send someone to pick us up. Presumably, we will take our new prisoner with us?”

            At that point, Kyla’s Aura Sense flared up as a small rift in reality opened just behind the arcanist captain. A black-haired human woman wearing light blue full-body armor and carrying a massive metal mace in one hand walked through the portal. Right beside her were a pair of machine gun toting black-armored Logos Order commandos.

            The newly arrived woman grabbed the chain linking the arcanist captain’s handcuffs and disintegrated it with a small pulse of light blue energy. She then said, “We are here, Lilia… we got your distress call….The fugitives! So, it was them who assaulted the research station!”

            Kyla and her allies, except for Zig, all ran for cover as the two commando gunners opened fire on them.

            Zig rushed the Logos Order priestess and they locked heavy weapons. Lilia then told the priestess, “I knew I could rely on you to come rescue me, Cornelia! Now, let’s blow this joint…literally!”

            Lilia chanted a single unintelligible word and suddenly the airship began to rock and descend from the sky. Cornelia shouted to her sorceress half-sister, “Lilia, what did you just do?”

            Arya leaned out of cover and then told Zig, “Get out of the way! I will see if I can wipe them all out!”

            Lilia replied, “These guys are strong, Cornelia! I made it so that we do not have to fight them here! We can let them go down with the ship. With any luck, they won’t be able to get a portal open in time!”

            Zig then pushed Cornelia back with one mighty strike of his sword clanging against her mace. Kyla took out one Logos Order gunner with an Aura Sphere, while Elena and Juliana opened fire on the other with their pistols. Zig then hit the deck. Arya smiled and then blasted the enemies with her Inferno attack, aiming it over the now prone Zig and away from the tables packed with arcane implements.

            Lilia conjured a large energy barrier in front of her and her allies and then jumped through the portal, shouting, “Come on! We need to get away and close the portal before the airship explodes!”

            Cornelia angrily replied, “Lord Arthus and my order’s master both want at least one of those fugitives alive! …Lilia, you may be my half-sister, but you will have to answer to his Lordship for this blunder!” Cornelia then rushed through the portal. House Arthus troops with rifles on the other side of the portal laid down covering fire for her.

            Zig got up and angrily charged the enemy gunner before he could reload and fall back. The Darcsen warrior sliced into the wounded foe, killing him. However, Lilia grinned and waved at the travelers as the dimensional portal closed, trapping Kyla’s group in the self-destructing airship.

            Elena shouted, “I’m not going to have time to open a portal. We need a way off of this airship…”

            Kyla looked around and shouted, “I see a ladder nearby the door we came in leading to an escape hatch! We need to get off of this vessel and that is our fastest way out!”

            The travelers all nodded. Kyla climbed up the ladder first, followed by Juliana, Zig and Elena. Once the four humanoids were all up the ladder and the escape hatch was opened, Elena summoned a hand of force and concentrated on it. The hand grabbed Arya and hauled her up to where her allies stood.

            Now crossing the top of the airship, Kyla and her group realized that they were still high in the sky. Jumping into the water would not be safe at their current height. The airship was starting to burn and was getting torn apart beneath their feet by explosions.  

            Arya shouted, “Damn it! They really trapped us!”

            Kyla then announced, “I sense an airborne aura coming our way. I don’t think that its Avion, though.”

            Juliana looked around and her jaw dropped. The priestess called out, “Look at the size of that colossus!”

            Kyla turned around and saw the flying serpentine dragon colossus she had spotted earlier that day coming right for them at top speed.

            A female voice echoed in the five travelers’ heads, saying, “Hang on! I am almost there! Lord Malus sent me to check on you all, it seems that I have arrived just in time.”

            As the airship continued to rapidly decay and fall, the draconic colossus pulled up next to the travelers and extended two of her frontal “wings.” As the colossus slowed her flight as much as she could, Kyla took the initiative and leapt onto a wing and ran onto the colossus’ back. Soon, she was joined by all four of her allies.

            Once all five of the travelers had made it onto the colossus’s back, she banked away from the falling airship and turned back around towards the peninsula that the colossi called home.

            As the five travelers all breathed immense sighs of relief, they heard the voice of their rescuer in their minds saying, “You can call me Phalanx, by the way. It seems like you have destroyed the source of the disturbances Lord Malus was concerned about. I may abhor violence, but I am relieved that my Lord will be able to rest easier now. As for all of you, I am to take you back to my homeland where you can rest at the shrine.”

            Elena cast her translation spell on Phalanx and then said, “Your intervention was quite timely. I think we owe you and Lord Malus our lives.” Elena then told her allies, “When we return to the peninsula, I can look over the documents we recovered from the airship’s safe.”

            Kyla and the others all nodded as they decided to rest on Phalanx’s back for the time being. As the House Arthus airship’s remains fell into the ocean, the five travelers rode Phalanx back to the Forbidden Land.


	15. Aftermath of the Airship Raid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am just putting a quick spoiler warning for the original Valkyria Chronicles as a note for this chapter. The plot point mentioned at this chapters end, which should be elaborated on next chapter if memory serves, is a spoiler for the original VC game. Anyway, I hope that you all are enjoying the story. It will be over half of the way posted as of the next chapter!

            It was the day after Kyla and her companions had raided the House Arthus airship. Upon returning to the peninsula, the leader of the colossi, Lord Malus, had been greatly pleased that the travelers had stopped the magical disturbances that had troubled him. That was despite the damage to his servant Avion caused by the impact from an enemy artillery shell.

            From what Elena had gathered, it seemed that the arcane laboratory on top of the airship had been conducting research on the world’s spirit entities. The House Arthus arcanists had not really cared what effect their studies had on the powers they were researching. Thankfully, the airship had been destroyed before too much damage was done to the world’s balance.

            Now, the five travelers had split up after spending the night in the Shrine of Worship again. Zig was talking with the swordsman colossus, Gaius. Elena had been summoned to meet with Lord Malus after spending some time examining the documents she had stolen from the airship’s safe. Juliana had spent some time that morning communing with her deity. After that, she had been engaged in conversation by the equine colossus Phaedra. Arya had slept in quite a bit and was still resting for all that Kyla knew.

            As for Kyla herself, the Lucario was leaning against the remains of a large stone pillar on a beach located nearby the Shrine of Worship. Not far from her was a seaside cave where Quadratus had once been trapped for centuries. Kyla had spent much of the morning discussing painting and art in general with Quadratus. The bull colossus seemed to have quite a fascination with the concepts of aesthetics and creation. He envied humanoids comparative dexterity, despite him having the advantages of immortality and near indestructibility.

            Kyla was doing her best to relax, despite her continued concern for her loved ones back home. She could only hope that Elena would master the DWD soon and get her, and Arya, back to their homeworld. She knew that she would have to take part in the counterattack against the Logos Order. However, she wanted her family and friends by her side for that endeavor. She had faith that they would rush to her aid once they learned all that had happened to her.

            Kyla had not only been missing her family in her mind. She had been venting her frustrations to someone else. Floating just off of the beach was an immense sea serpent whose body was topped with tall spines. This creature, who had introduced herself telepathically as Hydrus, had been kind enough to lend a sympathetic “ear” to the concerned Kyla. They had been “talking” for some time now.

            The aqauitc colossus had listened patiently to Kyla’s story. She then replied, “If Lord Malus has faith in your friend Elena’s powers, then I believe that she will get you home. I am sorry that this ‘Logos Order’ has been hunting you. You can rest assured that you have friends here. Now that our lord knows that someone linked to your enemies was causing the disturbances, they have made themselves a powerful enemy.”

            Kyla nodded and then asked, “Pelagia mentioned that he had died and been brought back to life when we first met him. Is that actually normal in this world? What happened to him?”

            Hydrus’s eyes briefly turned orange. She then explained, “It is a long story. Suffice to say that centuries ago we turned on our creator, the Grand Spirit Dormin when we decided that they were unworthy to rule these lands. Dormin was trapped in their own shrine with most of their essence sealed in our bodies. However, there came a time when a lone young man came to this place and made a deal with Dormin. He wanted his beloved brought back from the dead and Dormin offered to do it if the young man could slay all of us.”

            Kyla’s eyes opened wide and she asked, “Don’t tell me one human slew all of you? Even if he only faced you one by one, how would even a squad of veteran soldiers stand a chance against even one of your kind?”

            Hydrus continued, “The human Wander slew us by freeing the essence of Dormin trapped in our bodies. One by one, we perished. Only the timely intervention of a shaman named Lord Emon banished Dormin from the material world for good. As for how we returned to this place. Wander died after being caught in the spell that banished Dormin back to their home realm. Mono, his love had been revived. But Dormin was on their way to reforming in the Chthonic Realm, where our souls also remained. Lord Malus forced Wander to help revive us using the power of the other fifteen Grand Spirits. In the end, we were returned to life before Dormin could reform and absorb our souls. However, Wander was left in the Chthonic Realm and faced Dormin there. Celosia, one of the Scout Colossi feared for Wander’s fate. At her behest, we were able to coordinate our energies to help him defeat Dormin. Wander was revived and forgiven for his past transgressions. However, we have not yet succeeded in convincing the mortals of the outside world that this place is safe to return to.”

            Kyla had been doing her very best to follow Hydrus’s story. She simply nodded at the end and said, “I guess I’m glad that you all escaped a terrible fate. You have been very gracious hosts. We did not find that kind of welcome in the last world we found ourselves in. In fact, that place was an active warzone.”

            At that point, Kyla sensed a familiar aura approaching her from the rocky trail up above. Kyla got up from the pillar and then walked over to see that Arya was now approaching her and Hydrus. The Ninetales said to Kyla, “It looks like Zig has gone off to see Pelagia again, maybe he is considering trying to settle his people here?”

            Kyla replied, “In case you were not aware, Elena has gone off to meet with Lord Malus. It sounds like he is quite impressed with her. You probably saw Juliana talking with Phaedra.”

            Arya nodded and then mentioned, “That reptilian colossus, Kuromori seems impressed with us as well. He wanted me to tell him the story of our most recent escapade and would basically not let me come to find you until I did. He seems quite proud of his days as a living siege engine.”

            Kyla then skeptically asked Arya, “What did you want to speak to me about, exactly?”

            Arya quickly replied, “It’s not about Mewtwo. Actually, it is about something very different. Would you mind walking back to the shrine with me?”

            Hydrus then interjected, “Don’t worry about me. It was nice meeting and talking with you, Kyla.”

            Kyla bowed briefly to Hydrus and then began to follow Arya back towards the rocky path leading upwards.

            Kyla asked Arya, as they neared the path, “So, what did you actually want to talk about?”

            Arya replied, “Kyla, I actually wanted to ask you a bit about your family life, specifically about you and your children. I met your oldest daughter, Ana, during the Anarchos crisis and I also briefly met your son, Rico, then. However, I am more interested in what motherhood is like in your experience.”

            Kyla was actually somewhat taken aback by Arya’s question. She was sounding a lot like Juliana. She could not help but ask, “Are you actually considering moving on? Are you looking to find someone new?”

            Arya defensively replied, “I could always adopt, you know. However, I would rather raise my own offspring. Mewtwo could never have given me children…”

            Kyla sighed and then decided to give Arya a straight answer to her earlier question. She explained, “In my experience, parenting can be scary. You are always worried about what could happen to your kids. That was especially true for Chad and I when we let Ana travel north to the Frontier with her friend Alfred. At the same time, I also think that it can be an incredibly rewarding experience if you let it. Does that answer your question?”

            Arya simply nodded and replied, “Yes, that does give me something to think about.”

            Kyla and Arya soon approached the Shrine of Worship. As they neared the towering building, they noticed Juliana sitting at the small altar directly in front of the main shrine. The young priestess was wearing her casual clothes and sitting in a meditative position. A faint field of purple flame surrounded her as she seemed intensely focused on something.

            Kyla and Arya both decided not to bother Juliana. However, Kyla soon noticed that Elena’s aura was now closing in on them from the south. It was not long until Elena reached Kyla and Arya who were now sitting on the ground not far from the shrine.

            Elena noticed the meditating Juliana and sighed. She muttered, “There’s really not much difference between how we gain our spells. Still, she acts like she has to worship the source of her magic. I wish she wouldn’t debase herself like…”

            Arya then interrupted, “Everything ok, Elena?”

            Elena stopped muttering and then said aloud, “Yes, actually. I just finished up speaking with Lord Malus. He believes that I have great potential ahead of me. When I told him about the spirit I have been trying to meet with, he suggested that I had been chosen for some purpose by that entity. However, he could not pinpoint what purpose that might be.”

            Kyla asked Elena, “So, what’s our plan right now? Arya and I still need to get home and the Logos Order is still out there. They are likely getting increasingly frustrated with us, now that we took down one of their operations.”

            Elena nodded and replied, “As for our next plan of action, we will be staying here for the time being due to the relative security of this place and the friendliness of its inhabitants towards us. However, I also plan to use the manuals and documents we stole from the enemy airship to learn how to more accurately and efficiently operate the DWD. Once I review the captured documents and manuals, I intend to determine where we should go next. There is a good chance that we will be traveling to your homeworld. However, we will have to see what coordinates I can obtain.”

            Kyla and Arya both nodded. Kyla then added, “As much as they seem willing to have us stay here. We should be careful not to impose too much on our colossal hosts. We might also want to stock up on food while we are in this world. We will have to take what supplies we can get from this region, just in case our next destination does not have easy access to supplies.”

            Elena and Arya both nodded, the trio then noticed Juliana’s meditative trance ending. The young priestess got up and walked over to her companions. Juliana’s purple eyes and her aura both showed strong determination.

            When Juliana reached Elena, Kyla and Arya, she asked, “Where is Zig? I have something of the utmost importance to tell him.”

            Arya replied, “Last time I checked, he went to speak with Pelagia over in his domain.”

            The group then heard the telepathic voice of the warrior colossus Gaius, who had been sitting not too far away from them say, “Arya is correct. The young warrior Zig has gone to see Pelagia.”

            The foursome them heard Phaedra’s voice in their minds asking them, “What is so important that you did not know before that you need to tell him now?”

            Juliana looked over at the approaching horse colossus and told everyone present, “My god has revealed an ancient truth to me. I now know why I flew into a rage when we encountered a Valkyria earlier.”

            Kyla curiously asked, “Why do you have to tell Zig the reason for your earlier trance specifically. Is it because he is from the same world as the Valkyrur?”

            Juliana shook her head and then explained, “It is not just that. I will tell everyone here, not just Zig, what really happened. All I will say for now is that the Darcsens…”

Juliana clenched her fists and Kyla sensed more rage in the young woman’s aura then she had ever sensed in her before. The only exception being during her battle with the enemy Valkyria. The priestess then finished, “The Darcsens were the victims, not the aggressors. They were framed!”


	16. Making Plans

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The Command Room of the House Arthus North Arcane Tower:

            Tom Arthus stood next to his bodyguard Marcus Smith. The Sorcerer General and his bodyguard were standing opposite the half-sisters Lilia and Cornelia Heliopolis.

            Tom had just finished reading a written report, he put the document down and first breathed a sigh of relief and then groaned with annoyance. He looked over at the High Priestess Cornelia and his former apprentice, Lilia. Tom began, “Lilia, you are extremely fortunate that our recovery team found no possible remains of the fugitives after an extensive search of the partially-sunken airship wreckage. We believe that they somehow escaped the destruction of the vessel and are still active.”

            Lilia folded her arms and then asked her former teacher, “Why exactly would it have been so bad if I had gotten rid of your order’s fugitive problem for you?”

            Tom sighed and responded, “The master of the Logos Order insisted that one of those fugitives not be killed. One other among them I was hoping to use in the creation of a magic item, even if she was to perish in the process. The other three I would not have minded seeing die. In fact, the arcanist among them our master has marked for death.”

            Lilia retorted, “Lord Arthus, I am not a member of your order, even though I am still in the employ of your family. I was commanding that research station as a Captain in the House Arthus’s forces. Even if the Logos Order’s resources allowed the airship to be transported to that dimension, I was not leading a Logos Order operation. My points being that I do not want to be held accountable for a ‘mistake’ that I made unknowingly. Also, that I am not going to be punished by an organization I never joined.”

            Cornelia looked more than frustrated with her half-sister. She did not reply to her comments, however.

            Tom then told Lilia, “You still acted rashly, even if you were trying to minimize House Arthus casualties by activating the airship’s self-destruct. If your actions had killed the fugitive our master seeks alive, then you would have to answer to him regardless of your personal affiliation.”

            Lilia still seemed defiant, she finished, “I have no more need of being talked down to like a child. I intend to take my leave of this place. You should know that I will have to inform your seniors in the House that your dedication to the Logos Order has overtaken your dedication to your family.”

            With that, Lilia spun on her heel and left the command room. Cornelia looked over to Tom and asked him, “Has the House Arthus Council approved the plan yet?”

            Tom smiled back at Cornelia, as Helga Werner entered the room through a different door than the one Lilia had left through. He then explained, “The House Arthus is gathering its naval forces for a blockade of the southernmost Ruvian coast in Terranor as we speak. We will ensure that there is no further interference from that continent for the time being, if this plan works.”

            Helga then bowed to Tom and asked, “My Lord, I am still wracked with guilt that I failed to stop the fugitives when I met them in battle. What would you have me do?”

            Tom walked over to Helga and ran his fingers through her hair. He then said, “My beautiful Helga, you I will always forgive, unlike my former apprentice. As for your orders, you are to give every remaining Logos Order cell documents detailing the House Arthus’s plans to blockade the Ruvian coast.”

            Cornelia then explained to Helga, “We are hoping to draw the fugitives back to Austean if they learn what we are planning. Hopefully, we can defeat them in this world with a larger contingent of our forces then they have previously faced.”

            Helga saluted Cornelia and then asked her, “High Priestess, has our master communicated anything to you regarding the priestess I encountered in battle? I am interested to know why she flew into a rage once I activated my ragnite aura.”

            Cornelia replied, “It seems as though the fallen church’s false god has a connection to your people’s oldest enemies, the Darcsens. I will explain more later, as I do not want to waste Lord Arthus’s time.”

            Helga nodded and declared, “If the United Church’s false god is linked to the dark hairs, then I know the Empire will want to see what remains of that faith crushed completely.”

            Tom smiled deviously and declared, “Worry not, Helga. Once our master is back at his full power, as he was centuries ago, we will convince the Empire to fall in line with us. Europa will be one of the first of many domains brought under our protection. The time is nearing when our master will be restored to his rightful place and we will act as his worthy heralds!”

            Helga, Marcus and Cornelia all saluted Tom. Then, Helga announced, “I will depart immediately to inform our allies of our plan.” The valkyria then left out the door she had come in from.

            Cornelia then asked Tom, “Sorcerer General, I am still concerned about Elena Joland. She is almost certainly still alive and might yet prove a great threat to our master.”

            Tom responded, “If we encounter the fugitives again, we must kill her before the truth about her existence can be revealed. You are certainly right about the threat she poses. If her full potential is unlocked, she could be the undoing of all we have accomplished thus far.”

            Cornelia nodded back at Tom and asked, “Shall I command the tower while you travel with the fleet to Ruvia?”

            Tom nodded and then finished, “You will have command of this fortress while I am away. Marcus, stay with Cornelia and ensure the defense of this tower.”

            Marcus somewhat reluctantly saluted his Lord and responded, “Yes my Lord. If that is what you wish, I will ensure that this tower is properly defended.”

            Tom nodded and then left Marcus and Cornelia, disappearing in a beam of light green arcane energy. He had to ensure that the fleet he had been entrusted with was on its way to its target and ready for action.

\---

The Shrine of Worship in the Forbidden Lands:

            Kyla, Arya, Elena, Juliana and Zig were all gathered around the altar of the Shrine of Worship. Elena had previously spent hours looking over the documents and manuals the travelers had retrieved from the House Arthus airship. Now, the group of five had been called together for a meeting. It was early evening and the sun was starting to go down outside of the Shrine of Worship, descending below the cliffs to the south.

            Zig, who had been informed that Juliana had something of vital importance to tell him, began, “Juliana said that she had something she needed to tell me. I want to know what that is before any other matters are discussed.”

            Juliana nodded solemnly and then explained, “Zig, everyone, after communing with my deity, I have learned why I entered a furious battle trance when we encountered that Logos Order valkyria. It is connected to the nature of my god’s origin and the plight of Zig’s people. …You see, some of you might already know that my god is an amalgamate of souls who either died unjust deaths or lived lives marked by oppression. The souls making up the amalgamate were tormented in life by those who committed large scale acts of tyranny, discrimination and aggression.”

            Elena then interjected, “I have heard all of this before, Juliana. What I think we all want to know here is what’s new? You said before that the ancient Darcsens were framed?”

            Zig looked over at Juliana and asked, “Framed?”

            Juliana nodded, her eyes beginning to glow with purple light. She then continued, “My god has told me the true story of the War of the Valkyrur. There never was a such thing as a Darcsen Calamity. It was the valkyrur who invaded Europa from the north and defeated the ancient Darcsens in battle. They enslaved the survivors and spread the myth that they were the saviors, not the aggressors. Think about it, we caught a glimpse of the firepower that just one Valkyria packed. Wouldn’t a force of those monsters be far more able to ravage a continent than humans without that kind of innate power.”

            Zig seemed stunned by Juliana’s revelation. He recovered from shock faster than Kyla had expected him to. He then asked Juliana, “Even if your patron is a god, how exactly do they know all of this?”

            Juliana replied, “It is because some of the first souls to gather and form what would become the grand amalgamate were Darcsens who suffered and died because of the invading valkyrur. My god despises the valkyrur because of what their ancestors did. Despite the compassion my god normally shows, the valkyrur are viewed as evil monsters worthy only of death in their eyes. I will do what my patron demands and slay that valkyria if we encounter her again.”

            Zig looked down at the shrine’s floor for a surprising amount of time. Kyla could easily tell that whatever secret the Darcsen warrior had been keeping from the others was weighing even more heavily on him now.  

            It was not long until Zig took a deep breath and looked over at his companions. He then said, “Thank you, Juliana. You have, in some ways, lifted a burden from my shoulders. Now, I know that my ancestors were innocent of the crimes they had been accused of for so long. You have only further strengthened my resolve to find a new home for my people. I will return to Europa and spread the truth to my people once the Logos Order falls. After that, as many of us as I can gather will leave the place that hates us behind and begin a new future.”

            Arya commented, “The kid sure has a flare for the dramatic when the mood strikes him.”

            Kyla nodded. She was beginning to really wonder what secret was still eating at Zig. Kyla trusted Juliana more than enough to know that the young priestess was being truthful about the Darcsen people’s innocence. Therefore, it seemed like Captain Dahau’s crusade for Darcsen independence had been justified, even if he had never known the truth. That just left Kyla wondering what Zig felt guilty about. As a Lucario, she could sense other’s emotions. However, she could not truly read minds.

            Elena then chimed in, “With that out of the way, I think that it’s time for my report. I have looked over the DWD manuals we looted and thankfully learned quite a bit about how to efficiently operate mine. I should be able to warp us back to at least Austean with relatively pinpoint accuracy regarding where we ‘land.’ Also, I have learned something that should interested Kyla and Arya greatly. According to one document I have read over, there is a Logos Order cell in Kyla and Arya’s homeworld. However, it is located on what is called their ‘Western Continent.’”

            Arya mentioned, “The Western Continent is the domain of Lord Zekrom and Lady Reshiram. Those two have been in conflict for centuries from what I know. That continent is also far away from where either Kyla or I live.”

            Elena continued, “It seems like the Logos Order cell in question is staffed by creatures native to that world. It is said to be commanded by someone named Lothar. The cell’s base of operations is located not too far from a major landmark called the Fortress of Truth. I have been able to decipher the coordinates that would take us not far outside of the nearest settlement to the cell’s location. Apparently, the Logos Order base is located in an abandoned old fortress not far from a small city.”

            Arya asked Elena, “Are you suggesting that we travel back to Kyla and I’s homeworld and attack this Logos Order cell? We would still be a significant distance from anyone who would know either of us. Also, you, Juliana and Zig are all human. I don’t even know what the locals would do if they saw living humans.”

            Kyla added, “If we needed to communicate with civilized folks, then everyone except for Arya and I would need to stay out of sight. Also, I feel like Arya and I would also need to bear the brunt of any combat we get into, since we are used to fighting creatures like ourselves. Hopefully, we don’t run into any Lucario like me. Their Aura Sense could foil the whole operation if they are hostile, or even too inquisitive.”

            Zig chimed in, “If we are able to defeat this Logos Order unit, then we should probably help Kyla get back to her family right after that. It sounded like their help could be invaluable to our cause.”

            As Kyla nodded in agreement, Elena explained, “I do not currently have access to any coordinates that would take us closer to Kyla’s home, or Arya’s for that matter. However, we could try to find some way to contact Kyla’s family after we deal with the cultists. However, I am unsure of how the human members of our group could stay hidden for an intercontinental journey.”

            Kyla sighed and said, “Why don’t we rest here for the night. Tomorrow morning, we prepare for our next warp. At least Arya and I will be returning to our homeworld that way.”

            Elena nodded and then finished, “Sounds good to me. I will also work on contacting the spirit who wants to meet with me before we go to sleep.”

            As the five travelers got ready to have dinner, Kyla could still sense strong tension in Zig’s aura. Despite what Juliana had told him earlier, something was tearing him apart internally.


	17. The Broken Pedestal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers, I have an announcement to make. As of now, I have completed the rough draft of the sequel to Sacred Wars: Tales of Austean, which is also a prequel of sorts to this story. The story will be titled Sacred Wars Part II: Fall of Austean. It depicts the events of the Second Terranoran Rebellion, which has been mentioned in this story. However, Sacred Wars Part II will go into much greater detail and depict events and feature characters that do not get mentioned in this story. I will begin posting the Sacred Wars sequel after this story is fully posted. I still have to edit the rough draft. However, I should have plenty of time between now and the end of this story's posting. 
> 
> Also, sorry for the tabbing issues in this chapter. I still do not know how to fix them. Regardless, I hope that you all are enjoying the story so far.

            The next morning, Kyla woke up to see that Elena was sitting in a meditative pose with her eyes shut. The DWD was once again glowing with purple energy and orange fire. Juliana and Arya were still both fast asleep. Kyla stretched out her arms and climbed out of her sleeping bag. She then noticed Zig sitting on one of the staircases leading out of the Shrine of Worship.

            Kyla walked over to the Darcsen warrior, as she did so, she noticed a strange lack of resolve in his aura. In the short time that she had known Zig, Kyla had come to respect the Darcsen soldier’s unshakable determination. However, he seemed particularly troubled at the moment.

            When Kyla sat down next to Zig, she saw that he was looking at the same picture he had been looking at the morning after he had joined Kyla and her companions. Kyla did not even have to look over at the picture to know that it was one of the young soldier’s murdered parents.

Human and Lucario sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Kyla watched the sunrise from her sitting position, but she was more focused on Zig. Thankfully, none of the colossi seemed interested in bothering the pair.

All of the sudden, Kyla heard Zig ask her, “You told us that your father was murdered by his own leader for doing the right thing…Kyla… do you think your father would be proud of you?”

Kyla was taken aback by what Zig had asked her. However, she replied, “He died smiling at me. He knew that he had done right by me in his final moments. He knew that he had saved Polumbos Town and my mother, who he had never really stopped loving, even if doing so had cost him his life. He died a hero as far as I am concerned.”

Zig looked over at Kyla and then slowly said, “Sometimes doing the right thing has terrible costs. Kyla…I am not a hero. I never thought that I would even consider saying this, but I think that my Captain forgot what it meant to be a hero.”

At that point, Zig stopped talking. His hands balled up into fists and tears began to form in his eyes. Kyla put a hand on the young man’s shoulder and her turned to look at her. She then sternly, but calmly, asked him, “What have you been hiding? You should know by now that I can sense emotions. I always knew that something was eating at you. I don’t think you can hold it in anymore…”

As Zig seemed about to tell Kyla what he had been hiding, Kyla sensed their three companions’ auras approaching them from behind. She heard Juliana innocently ask, “What are you two talking about?”

Kyla was not sure how to reply, as Zig stood up, picture still in hand. Elena, Arya and Juliana could all see the tears in his eyes now. Arya perceptively asked, “Is there something you need to tell us, Zig?”

Zig nodded and then explained, doing his best to dry his tears, “There is something I have to tell you all. Do you all remember the facility where Captain Dahau was stationed? The place you four stopped me from trying to infiltrate after Juliana healed me.”

Elena nodded and asked Zig, “Yes, what about it?”

Zig looked at his companions and then told them, “The truth is that that facility held an ancient and powerful weapon within its walls. Captain Dahau seized it in the hopes of blackmailing the Empire into giving us good land with which to create an independent Darcsen nation. However, he was intending to first use the weapon to destroy the Gallian capital in order to prove its power to the world. I almost died holding the first line of defense against those who came to shut down the weapon. As I fell unconscious from my wounds, I wondered why I had failed. Maybe I failed because I was doing the wrong thing?”

Kyla thought would Zig had said over for a moment and then replied, “I guess I was right about the dangers of hero worship.” She then looked Zig in the eyes and continued, “…Look, I could act all judgmental and say that you are a bad person who would have deserved to die. However, I know what it’s like to have others refuse to give me the benefit of the doubt because of a mistake I made. Zig, you have come to realize that you made a terrible mistake. Not many get the second chance that we gave you. You have taken advantage of your narrow survival and have been able to overcome your earlier fixation. I think you should just be glad you got a second chance.”

Arya seemed to be deep in thought as Zig suddenly embraced Kyla. He then awkwardly withdrew and looked over at the others. Juliana face palmed and awkwardly asked no one in particular, “Why is it that half of our team was involved with near successful uses of weapons of mass destruction?”

Elena seemed to almost shrug Juliana’s question off. The young arcanist having probably gotten used to such bizarre revelations by now. She then announced, “In other news… I communed with the spirit I have been trying to meet with last night. She said that the two of us will hopefully meet soon and she said that she had missed me since we last communicated.”

Juliana told Elena, “You can have quite the one-track mind, you know that. Regardless, I guess that it’s good that Zig learned his lesson and has made the most of his second chance.”

Zig told the others, “My Captain gave up hope that our freedom could be secured without us becoming the villains so many see us as. However, I will not give up hope! Despite his mistakes, I will honor his legacy by finishing his mission! I will create a Darcsen homeland that is not built on an atrocity!”

Elena nodded approvingly at Zig as Arya snapped back into reality. The young arcanist then told her comrades, “We should begin getting ready and saying our goodbyes to our oversized friends. I would like us to be ready to warp to the Western Continent as soon as possible. Once we eliminate the Logos Order unit there, we can find out what our next move will be.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Then, they got to packing supplies and saying their goodbyes to the various colossi they had befriended.

By chance, Kyla and Zig met back at the Shrine of Worship first. Elena was saying goodbye to Lord Malus and Argus. Juliana was gathering supplies and saying goodbye to Phaedra. Arya had gone off to say goodbye to Pelagia. Everyone had hoped that Pelagia would not be too upset that only Arya had shown up to say goodbye to him. They all remembered how excited the masked colossus had been to have visitors in his domain.

Kyla decided to ask Zig something as she made sure that her pack was ready to go. She turned to him and asked, “Why did you ask me about my father? Why did you want to know whether or not he would be proud of me?”

            Zig looked over at Kyla and responded, “A major part of the reason that I decided I had to tell you all the truth was because I was not sure what my parents would think of me if they were still here. They had supported Captain Dahau’s independence movement, but I frankly don’t know if they would have supported the course of action he took in the end. I asked you if your father would be proud of you because I was unsure if my parents would be proud of me.”

            Kyla closed her eyes for a moment. She then nodded her head and said, “Your people need a home, you are still right about that. If this whole experience has reminded me of any important truth, it is the value of home. Sadly, I don’t think my own homeworld would work as a new home for your people. Many locals would not respond well to human life returning.”

            Zig nodded at Kyla and told her, “We will get you back to your family, Kyla. Then, we will destroy the Logos Order together. Once that is done, I will work to finish Calamity Raven’s mission.”

            Kyla smiled over at the young man, sensing far less tension in his aura then before. She then replied, “Those are all good things that need to come to pass. Now, let’s finish packing and get ready for the trip to come. This is still far from over.”

            Kyla and Zig soon finished their preparations and then, one by one, Juliana, Elena and Arya returned to the Shrine of Worship. Once everyone was gathered and packed, Elena explained, “The DWD is now fully recharged. I have entered the coordinates that should warp us to a spot within a few hours walk of our target. Once we arrive in Kyla and Arya’s homeworld, we will take stock of where we are and then make our way to the old keep the Logos Order has taken up residence in.”

            Arya then reminded everyone, “Be advised, we will be facing enemies far more dangerous than most humans, including trained warriors. Therefore, be cautious and use defensive magic when necessary. The good news is that these enemies, even if they have made contact with humans, have not likely ever fought against humans. We can hopefully catch them somewhat off guard with attacks that they will not be used to.”

            Kyla added, “We will probably have to eliminate the entire cell, or at least all of its present members. Still, this ‘Lothar’ is going to be our main target, since he is the cell’s leader. Unfortunately, we don’t know his species, so we will have to try and target whoever seems to be in charge when we storm the keep.”

            Elena pointed out, “Remember that we will need to loot as many Logos Order documents as we can. We want to try and find out what our enemies are up to. We still do not know who their master is, or what he wants. Also, it is possible that the cell we are going to target was involved in Kyla and Arya’s abduction.”

            Juliana chimed in, “If this cell is helping the Logos Order kidnap others of their own kind, then stopping them is an even higher priority for us.”

            Kyla and Arya both briefly looked to each other and nodded. Then, Elena surveyed her allies and announced, “With that all taken care of, it’s time for us to move out. To the Western Continent we go!”

            A dimensional portal leading into a forested clearing opened up inside of the Shrine of Worship. Kyla knew that the portal would lead them back to her homeworld. She wished she had some of her world’s money on her. However, more importantly, she was about to be back on the same planet as her loved ones.

            As the group walked through the portal, one by one, Kyla clenched her three-fingered fists a bit. She was not going to let the Logos Order soil her homeworld with their presence. She was going to learn if the Logos Order cell on the Western Continent had anything to do with her kidnapping. She would learn the truth, even if she had to beat it out of the enemy cultists herself.


	18. The Western Continent

            Kyla followed her comrades out into a forested clearing. She was not yet absolutely sure that she was on her homeworld again. However, she looked up past the trees and saw the sun in the sky above her.

            Elena looked over at Kyla and asked her, “Could you scan the area with your Aura Sense? We need to know if anyone, whether feral or civilized, is in the immediate vicinity.”

            Kyla closed her eyes and reached out as far as she could with her Aura Sense. She soon picked up a few clusters of auras at the edge of her range. Kyla then opened her eyes and pointed in a direction leading through the trees. She announced, “I sense quite a few auras in that direction.”

            Arya suggested, “That is probably the city Elena mentioned earlier. We should see if we can scout it out from a distance. It also seems like you did not sense any wild Pokémon in the area. Maybe the city dwellers do a good job of keeping the wilds from getting too close?”

            Juliana asked, “What’s our plan in that case? Only Kyla and Arya can enter the city without immediately arousing suspicion.”

            Kyla reached down and touched the badge on her chest. Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, “I’ve got an idea. Arya, the two of us should enter the city while the others find a good place to stay hidden. I can always use my Aura Sense to navigate back to them if I need to.”        

            Zig asked Kyla, “Why do you need to enter the city if our target is the castle nearby? Do you want to see if you can gather information about the enemy cell’s location and numbers?”

            Kyla shook her head no, much to the others’ surprise. She then explained, “As you all should remember, I am still considered a member of the Pokémon Adventurers Guild. Therefore, if we can locate a Guild office, I can enlist their help and also see if I can get a message of some kind sent home.”

            Arya smiled and added, “We should maybe also try to learn where exactly that castle is to save some time and energy, at minimum. Still, if Kyla is right then we could also try to have a message sent to the Guild office in Semberta Town as well. If we encounter any Guild Pokémon, then we need to warn them about the Logos Order and have them spread the word.”

            Elena nodded approvingly and replied, “Good thinking you two. We should see if we can get out of this forest by heading in the direction Kyla specified earlier. Once we reach the forest’s edge, I will hunker down here with Zig and Juliana. My magical disguises are not good enough to disguise a human as something else entirely.”

            As the group began to trek towards the city, Kyla handed Zig her Sub-Machine Gun. She told him, “It will look very strange if I am carrying this. You should hold onto it for now.”

            Zig nodded and took the SMG from Kyla as they kept walking through the woods.

            It was not long until the group found their way to the very edge of the forest. The saw a small city that sat on a grassy plain in front of them. Many of the city’s buildings seemed to be restored human ruins.

            As Juliana looked out at the settlement and then scanned the horizon, she said, “I think I see a tall hill not far from the city. There might be a keep built at its top.”

            As most of the others turned to confirm Juliana’s observation, Zig looked out onto the plains and said, “I see a few creatures out there. None of them look remotely human.”

            Kyla made note of the keep on the hill, thinking that it was likely the location of the Logos Order cell. She then looked out at the open plains and smiled slightly. She saw others of her and Arya’s kind out there. It seemed like she was finally back in her own home dimension.

            Arya then looked up at Kyla and mentioned, “Kyla, we should keep our packs on. They will hopefully make us look like travelers. We do not want to arouse suspicion in this city, especially since the Logos Order could have spies operating here.”

            Kyla nodded, impressed with Arya’s insightfulness. She then told the humans, “We will head for the main road and make our way to the city. You three stay hidden here. Maybe Elena should begin recharging the DWD, just in case? We will come back for you as soon as we have learned about the Guild’s presence in the area and gathered any other information we can.”

            The three humans retreated a bit back into the trees as Kyla and Arya made their way to the nearby main road leading into the city. The duo made sure to stay hidden in the forest until they could get onto the road without anyone immediately seeing them. They then walked for a short bit until they reached an opened gate. A few travelers, including a caravan of carts, were waiting to be allowed in. Kyla and Arya soon both realized that a small group of Charmeleon guards led by a Rhydon were searching random travelers. They seemed to be focusing on the larger carts. They were likely looking for contraband that someone could be trying to smuggle in to the city.

            When Kyla and Arya reached the gate, they were met by a Charmeleon with a clipboard. The Charmeleon and his fellow guards were all wearing white sashes. Red marks on the sashes seemed to act as indicators of rank.

            The Charmeleon asked the duo, “Welcome to Parfeld City. What is your business here?”

            Thankfully, Kyla and Arya had both known they were likely to be asked that question. The two of them had rehearsed what they would say beforehand. Arya began, “I am a vacationer visiting from Semberta on the southern coast of the Frontier Continent. I came here to stay for a while as I visit this region.”

            The guard nodded and then joked, “I see you wanted to go somewhere with a warmer climate. Now, what about you?” The Charmeleon finished his statement looking up at Kyla.

            Kyla replied, “I am visiting from Polumbos City in the Alliance Territory. I am a bit of a traveling adventurer looking for possible work and new experiences. Me and this Ninetales met on the road and decided to travel together for safety.”

            The guard looked the duo over and said, “Those are well-made packs you both are wearing. I guess you both have the resources to afford extensive travel. Alright, you two can pass. Enjoy your stay.”

            Kyla and Arya both thanked the guard and then entered Parfeld city. The pair resolved to leave through a different gate then they had entered through, just to be safe. For the time being, they needed to focus on gathering information.

            As Kyla and Arya were walking through a marketplace near the gate they had entered through, Kyla suggested, “Seeing as though neither of us have ever been to this city, maybe we should go to the city hall and see if they have some sort of visitor information desk? We don’t know who else to ask about the Guild’s presence, or lack thereof, in this area.”

            Arya nodded and replied, “That seems like a decent idea. Still, we should probably minimize our time in this city seeing as though there could be Logos Order agents operating here. We also now know the most likely location of their base.”

            Kyla agreed and the duo made their way to the center of the city. It was not long until Kyla and Arya neared a tall domed structure that seemed to have once been a stadium of some kind. As the two females neared the city hall, Arya looked up at Kyla and told her, “Seeing as though it is just the two of us for the moment, there is one more thing I need to tell you.”

            Kyla looked down at Arya and asked her, “Is it something about Mewtwo? Because if it is, I am not sure if I need to hear it.”

            Arya retorted, “Yes, it is. Still, it’s something you need to hear.”

            Kyla said nothing, but she stopped walking towards the Parfeld City Hall.

            Arya then continued, “Kyla, I know that Mewtwo killed Geoffrey, your father. I don’t dispute that now. However, the truth was that Mewtwo trusted your father with his life for years. Geoffrey was his Guard Captain and one of his most loyal agents. Mewtwo must have killed Geoffrey out of an intense feeling of betrayal. …Regardless, I want you to know that right before your mother fled the Imperium, Mewtwo told Geoffrey that he expected to be present at your parent’s wedding. …You might not believe this, but Mewtwo said that he was interested in seeing what sort of girl you would grow up to be right after you were born.”

            Kyla just stood still for what felt like minutes. She finally replied, “We could spend hours discussing a world in which I was raised in the Imperium. However, that world is not this one. We ended up as enemies and that is how it happened. When we return to Polumbos, we will finish our duel and that will be the end of it.”

            As Kyla was about to put a foot forward, Arya finished, “One last thing, Kyla. …Even though I may never forgive you and we will never be friends, I have come to fully accept that your motivations for opposing the Imperium were genuine. You believed that we had to be stopped and you were willing to risk your life and oppose your own father in order to stop us. You are someone with strong convictions, Kyla. That much is obvious to me.”

            Kyla nodded and actually smiled slightly. She then walked into the Parfeld City Hall with Arya in tow.

            When the pair entered the city hall, they found a visitor information desk staffed by a male Breloom. As the two females approached the desk, the Breloom cheerfully, said, “Welcome to the Parfeld City Hall, my name is Andy. How may I help you?”

            Arya looked up at Kyla who then asked Andy, “We are new to this region. I am a member of the Pokémon Adventurers Guild based in Megapolis to the east. I was just wondering if there was a Guild Office in this city or anywhere nearby?”

            Andy thought for a moment. He then shook his head and responded, “I am sorry, ma’am. I have heard of the P.A.G. However, they currently do not operate any offices within the domain of Lady Reshiram. From what I know, the nearest Guild office is located northeast of here on the coast. It is outside of Lady Reshiram’s territory.”

            Arya asked Andy, “How could we reach that office from here?”

            Andy responded, “The nearest Guild office is located about a day or two away if you travel via the river. You could probably book passage on a trading barge and get there quickly and in relative safety.”

            Kyla nodded and then told Andy, “Thank you sir. We will be on our way now.”

            Kyla and Arya left the city hall and then found a different gate from which to leave Parfeld. The two of them then made their way towards the nearby forest. Kyla picked up the auras of their three human companions and realized that they had moved closer to the hilltop castle.

            Kyla and Arya entered the forest’s edge and then Arya called out, “We are back.”

            It was not long until Elena, Juliana and Zig emerged and the group reconvened. Kyla explained, “Sadly, the nearest Guild office is a day or two north of here by river. We would need a watercraft just to make good time getting there.”

            Elena nodded and then replied, “I’m sorry, Kyla. Being able to meet with your fellow Guild members would have been nice. Especially if the Guild has been alerted to your disappearance and has been looking for you and possibly Arya.”

            Zig then asked, “So, are we going to attack this castle?”

            Juliana chimed in, “We have noticed a couple groups of flying creatures patrolling the skies nearby the castle. We also know that it is located on a hilltop. This will be a risky attack for just the five of us.”

            Elena added, “We are a pretty strong group together. Still, we should not just charge in blindly. Kyla, I think we need to get close enough to the castle so that you can use your Aura Sense to discern how many hostiles are inside of it. We will plan our strategy based on what you tell us.”

            Kyla nodded and suggested, “We should get some rest for now. I am thinking that we should advance on the enemy position under cover of darkness. I will scan the castle to learn how many enemies are inside. Then, we will figure out the best way to storm the enemy position. Hopefully, we can use the night to our advantage.”

            Juliana added, “We will need to deal with any airborne patrols they send out. However, we might be able to avoid them if we don’t want to engage them directly.”

            Arya finished, “Just remember to try and let Kyla and I take the brunt of the enemy’s attacks. These creatures will probably not be as easy targets as the Imperial and House Arthus soldiers we have fought earlier. They will be tougher and probably more experienced than most human recruits.”

            The rest of the group agreed with Arya and then they decided to rest in the forest outskirts until darkness began to fall over the plains.


	19. The Castle Offensive

            Evening had begun to fall over the plains surrounding Parfeld City. Kyla and her four companions began to make their way down from the forest and onto the plains, giving the nearby settlement a wide birth. Thankfully for the travelers, the plains were covered by curtains of tall and thick dark green grass. Even if most of the travelers had to crouch, they were able to slowly but surely make their way towards the hilltop castle in the distance.

            As they made their way towards the castle, taking breaks on occasion to scan their surroundings, the travelers noticed that the grass had been trimmed in a radius immediately surrounding the castle. The occupants of the ancient fortress clearly did not want any intruders to be able to sneak right up to the front gate.

            When the five travelers had closed in on the fortress and were nearing the edge of tall grass, Kyla scanned the castle for auras. The Lucario adventuress closed her eyes and focused carefully on the structure. She then told her companions, “I sense a total of seventeen auras in the castle. …It seems like three of them are positioned at the top of the central tower. There are seven of them nearby the main gate. The central keep also holds seven auras. None of them seem alerted to our presence just yet.”

            Elena nodded and said, “I probably won’t be able to cast my translation spell on any of them. However, Kyla and Arya can understand their speech. It will be up to you two to relay any relevant information to the rest of us, even during active combat.”

            Zig was focused on the main gate. He asked, “How are we going to get through that gate? It seems too reinforced for even Arya’s Inferno attack to blast through it.”

            Elena seemed deep in thought, most likely trying to come up with a plan to break into the castle. Then, Kyla mentioned, “The trio of auras that were on the top of the main tower have taken off. They must be starting an aerial patrol now.”

            Elena seemed to have had an idea. She then explained, “Zig, I am going to use my invisibility spell on you. The rest of us will try to down that patrol and do so in a very noticeable way. Then, we will rush the front gate and hope that the enemy will open it to send out defenders. You are going to sneak in as they leave and make sure that the gate stays open!”

            Zig nodded and responded, “Good thing I was a part of so many night operations during the Gallian Campaign. I will follow your orders and ensure that the enemy cannot close the gate.”

            Kyla mentioned, “That’s roughly the same strategy that we used to clear the guard room right after I was rescued. To be fair, it worked last time.”

            Arya then looked up and announced, “That patrol is coming overhead. I see two Pidgeotto and a Skarmory.”

            Kyla looked up and nodded her confirmation of Arya’s observation. Then, Elena cast her invisibility spell on Zig, who began to make his way towards the front gate.

            A couple of moments after Zig had departed, Kyla sensed a sudden tension in the auras of the airborne enemies. She called out, “I think they’ve spotted us!”

            Kyla, who had retrieved the Sub-Machine Gun she had given to Zig earlier, charged up an Aura Sphere and blasted one of the two Pidgeotto from the sky with one precise shot.

            The Skarmory leading the patrol dived at the travelers. However, he took a lighting strike from Elena and began to lose control of his descent. Arya then opened up with a Flamethrower. The attack lit up the darkened sky and collided with the Skarmory, sending him careening to the ground.

            As the four visible travelers began to advance on the castle, they saw the remaining Pidgeotto beginning to retreat. However, a beam of purple light from Juliana’s longsword sliced through one of her wings and sent her falling to her death.

            Kyla smiled as the travelers approached the main gate. She could sense Zig’s aura as he was waiting for the double doors to swing open. Kyla also sensed that the five auras standing immediately inside of the gate were anticipating action.

            The gate began to swing open, revealing four Tyrunt and a Tyrantrum all standing in formation. All of these Pokémon were wearing light blue sashes with white stripes. As the gate began to close behind the reptilian defenders, Kyla sensed Zig’s aura slipping through the gap.

            Arya called out, “My fiery attacks won’t do much against these guys. Kyla on the other hand…”

            Kyla shouted, “Cover me!” She then rushed the Tyrantrum at full speed.

            As Kyla charged her towering opponent, the four Tyrunt rushed down the hill at Kyla’s allies. Elena caused the ground beneath two of them to erupt upwards and stop their charge. Arya then finished that pair off with her Extrasensory attack.

            Juliana charged the other two Tyrunt as Kyla leapt at the Tyrantrum. Kyla detonated a Dragon Pulse over her foe, weakening him severely. However, the enemy lizard, opened his mouth and blasted the airborne Kyla back a significant distance with a devastating Roar.

            As Kyla hauled herself up from the ground, she heard an explosion from just inside of the gate and sensed two hostile auras fading away. She soon realized that Zig had used a ragnite grenade to take down the guards manning the gate’s winch.

            Zig then emerged from the gate and charged a Tyrunt from behind. Juliana and Zig fortunately seemed more than a match for the pair of smaller reptilians. Kyla looked over and saw the Tyrantrum charging right for Arya and Elena.

            Kyla fired an Aura Sphere at the Tyrantrum. He barely withstood the attack and conjured a swarm of large boulders, which came crashing down on Arya.

            Arya looked badly injured. However, she used a second Extrasensory attack to blast the Tyrantrum’s mind hard enough that he collapsed to the ground. Juliana and Zig quickly dispatched the other two enemies with their blades. Soon after that, the travelers regrouped and continued their advance.

            As Arya was being healed by Juliana, Kyla shouted, “I sense some enemies coming out of the main keep and coming towards us!”

            The travelers advanced into the small castle courtyard and saw a Flygon backed by a Bergmite and two Cubone advancing at them. All of them wore the same light blue and white sashes as the first group of guards. The Flygon acted first, blasting Kyla with a Hyper Beam to the chest.

            As the small enemy formation charged forward, Kyla clutched her smoking chest. She then saw Juliana and Zig each engaging a Cubone. The Bergmite stayed in the rear of the enemy formation and fired off an Icy Wind at Elena, who blocked the blast with a force shield.

            Arya easily dispatched the Bergmite with a Flamethrower as the Flygon lowered herself to the ground.

            Kyla charged the Flygon at full speed, but was too late. The draconic Pokémon channeled energy through the ground using Earth Power and the ground erupted beneath Kyla and all of her companions. Everyone in Kyla’s group was hit by the eruptions. Elena’s force shield was broken, Juliana and Zig were injured, but saved by their armor and Kyla and Arya were both badly wounded.

            Juliana grabbed the Cubone she was fighting by his skull mask and obliterated him with a blast of purple fire. Zig slashed his foe’s stomach open with his greatsword, ending that enemy quickly. The Flygon was about to channel a second Earth Power when Elena used a hand of force to fling Kyla right at her.

            Kyla collided with the Flygon and used Dragon Pulse right at the moment of impact. The sudden strike disrupted the enemy commander’s attempt to use Earth Power again.

            As the Flygon tried to recover from her injuries, Arya rushed up to her and struck her with a Fire Blast to the head. Zig and Juliana rushed forward and hacked into the foe as well. Elena finally finished the Flygon off with a bullet to the brain from her pistol.

            As Juliana was focused on healing the badly wounded Kyla, the Lucario scanned the castle for any remaining enemies. Kyla declared, as her vitality returned to her, “There are only three auras left in the castle. I can direct us to them, they are on the first floor of the main keep and are staying put for now.”           

            After Kyla and her allies reloaded and healed up, Arya blasted the door to the main keep open with an Inferno. Kyla then directed the group through an antechamber and down a hallway. They soon found themselves in an old banquet hall with a large eating table at its center. There was one Shelgon positioned on each side of the table. Both of them were wearing the Logos Order sashes. Standing at the opposite end of the table was a Salamence with a Mega Stone hanging on a chain around his neck. He was also wearing an elaborate light blue, white and gold sash over his front shoulders.

            The Salamence roared in the Pokémon language, “I am Lothar, commander of this fortress! Your intrusion might have wiped out most of my soldiers, but I will prevail against you fugitives!”

Elena’s eyes seemed to briefly focus on a series of documents and files sitting on the center of the dining table. She asked Kyla and Arya, “I take it this dragon creature is Lothar?”

Arya replied, “It seems so…” The pair of Shelgon then opened up with Dragon breath attacks. One blast struck Juliana and paralyzed her. Zig narrowly evaded another one.

Lothar breathed a Flamethrower directly into Kyla, blasting her stomach directly. His body was then enveloped in energy as he Mega-Evolved.

Kyla cursed her lack of a Mega Stone, as she jumped onto the table and rushed at the now floating Lothar. Arya blasted all three enemies with Extrasensory and Zig charged the Shelgon that had missed him with Dragon Breath. Elena covered the paralyzed Juliana by causing the floor directly below the other Shelgon to erupt violently, he was knocked off of his feet by the sudden blast.

Kyla then charged at Lothar and detonated yet another Dragon Pulse when she neared him. The Salamence recoiled in pain, but was still in fighting shape. Lothar then floated higher up to the ceiling of the room. He looked down at Juliana and declared in Austeanean, “The Priestess of the false god dies today!”

            Elena looked shocked as she ducked a Dragon Breath from the Shelgon she had attacked earlier.

            Arya aimed a second Extrasensory blast, this time only at the Shelgon Zig was fighting. The psychic attack dropped the armored foe, allowing Zig to leap onto the table and rush over towards the conscious Shelgon who was now advancing on Elena.

            Kyla looked up at Lothar and then aimed her SMG at the dragon Pokémon. The barrage of bullets that Kyla unleashed only seemed to slightly wound the Salamence.

            Lothar then charged down at Julian, Kyla leapt up at him, but she was not fast enough to grab onto him. As the Flying Lothar neared the helpless Juliana, Elena projected a blast of frozen air from her hands while standing in front of her friend.

            The icy cone disrupted Lothar’s trajectory and he ended up missing Juliana. The Salamence whirled around at the other end of the room and saw Arya and Zig dispatching his second Shelgon guard together.

            Juliana then managed to get her body moving again. She summoned a series of frozen purple crystals around Lothar’s body. The icy spell severely wounded the Salamence, causing him to collapse to the floor. Lothar then fired a Dragon Breath at Elena. He was clearly enraged that she had disrupted his earlier Fly attack. Elena reacted in time to fire a ray of sparkling energy into Lothar’s incoming pulse. The two effects met and canceled each other out.

            Arya and Zig looked at each other briefly and rushed at Lothar. Juliana took up a defensive position directly in front of Elena. Kyla threw herself off of the table and made it to the weakened dragon first.

            Lothar’s head glowed with energy as he shouted, “All glory to the Logos Order! All glory to the Sorcerer General and our master!”

            Kyla narrowly evaded Lothar’s Zen Head Butt. She then plunged her Metal Claws into Lothar’s chest as his Mega Evolution wore off. Kyla angrily asked the wounded cell commander, “Did your group have anything to do with the kidnapping? Were you the ones who told Tom Arthus where we were?”

            Lothar laughed and responded, “We had agents in Polumbos City. They were withdrawn after their job was finished. …You won’t stop Lord Arthus, he will have the last laugh and our master will reclaim the power he held ages ago…” When Lothar finished his last statement, he finally succumbed to his injuries and collapsed to the floor, dead. Kyla withdrew her claws from her slain foe. She and Arya looked down at his corpse with disgust.

            Juliana looked to Elena and said, “Thank you, Elena. You saved my life once again…”

            Elena quickly interjected, “I would do it again if the need arose. Now, why don’t you make sure we are all healed up. I need to take a look at those documents on the table.”

            Juliana nodded dutifully as the five travelers reconvened. They had won another hard-fought battle and destroyed a Logos Order cell. However, their fight was still far from being finished.


	20. Returning to Austean

            After wiping out the Logos Order cell on the Western Continent, Kyla and her companions split up to loot and investigate their castle base. Kyla sensed no other auras in the immediate vicinity, leaving her group able to let their guard down a bit. Kyla had also suggested that the travelers loot any money they could find from their defeated foes, seeing as though they could end up needing money to finance a trip to the nearest Guild office’s location. Arya had given Kyla a slight look, but had made no objections to the request.

            Zig followed Kyla downstairs to investigate the basement of the castle. Elena, Juliana and Arya focused on looting the other floors and recovering potentially valuable Logos Order documents. Elena had begun by taking the pile of documents she had found on the main table of the dining hall. She was planning to look those papers over once they had searched the rest of the main keep.

            In the basement of the castle, Kyla and Zig found a dungeon with no prisoners currently being held there. The dungeon had five reasonably sized cells. None of their barred doors were currently locked.

            As Kyla noted that the dungeon seemed well maintained despite there not being any captives held there, Zig pointed to a rack on a wall and asked, “I see five pairs of shackles, but what are those other restraints?”

            Kyla looked over at the rack Zig had pointed to and grimaced angrily. The restraints Zig had mentioned were five pairs of the heavy cuffs Kyla had worn when she was briefly a prisoner in the dungeon of the House Arthus North Arcane Tower. Kyla knew that those cuffs were specially designed to bind and contain Lucario.  

            Kyla ordered Zig, “Stand back.” She then conjured up an Aura Sphere and sent it into the pair of cuffs at the center of the rack. The explosion of energy shattered the rack and the set off a chain reaction that destroyed all of the restraints. Kyla surmised that whatever power allowed the cuffs to suppress her abilities had been let loose too quickly, causing the violent reaction.

            As Zig gave Kyla a confused look, she said, “We need to find out if they were planning to abduct more of my kind. If they weren’t, they would have probably just had a rack of standard inhibitors down here…assuming they could obtain them by hook or crook.”

            Zig nodded, saying, “If more of your kind are in danger, that only increases the urgency of us stopping the Logos Order!”

            Kyla smiled over at Zig. She still admired the Darcsen soldier’s passion. The duo then returned upstairs where they found their concerned-looking comrades standing around the main dining table.

            Arya asked, “What was that loud boom? We were worried you two had run into some kind of trap left by our enemies.”

            Kyla shook her head no and asked, “Have we recovered any documents detailing the orders this cell was given by Tom Arthus? We think they might have been planning to kidnap other Lucario and hold them here?”

            Juliana, as Elena was looking over a series of papers, mentioned “Arya did find a document in Lothar’s quarters that contained the cell’s future orders.”

            Juliana then handed a file to Kyla. The Lucario put it down on the table and read over the documents within. She then breathed a sigh of relief and announced, “They were given the special cuffs I destroyed in preparation for future orders. It says here that, when given the go-ahead, Lothar’s cell was to begin capturing wild Lucario, bartering to have Lucario criminals handed over to them and otherwise scouring the surroundings for members of my species. What annoys me is that the ultimate purpose the Logos Order wants my kind for is still unclear.”

            Arya added, “Also, the question of why I was kidnapped remains unanswered. We also think the Logos Order wanted you captured specifically, Kyla.”

            Kyla nodded, she then smiled and said, “At least we put a stop to this cell. That way, they won’t be able to hunt down and kidnap anyone in this area. Or aid the larger enemy organization for that matter.”

            Elena had been studying one particular file with intense focus while Kyla and been talking. The young arcanist then angrily slammed the file down onto the table and shouted, “Damn it!”

            Juliana asked Elena, “What is it?”

            Kyla had been sensing frustration gradually building in Elena’s aura as she had read the file. However, she was not sure what the source of it was.

            Elena then sighed deeply and explained, “ _Operation Trident_ …The House Arthus has authorized Lord Thomas Arthus to lead an expeditionary force of warships to the city of Peralho on the far southern coast of Terranor, the Ruvia region. The House Arthus intends to blockade the city until the Domain of Terranor agrees to sign a treaty by which they will not interfere in any affairs connected to the House Arthus for the foreseeable future.”

            Juliana looked sickened. She then said, “This is because I was wearing a United Church uniform when we infiltrated the Arcane Tower compound. They traced our action back to Terranor and have decided to ensure no one else from that continent interferes in their affairs. They know that Terranor has been politically divided ever since the second rebellion. Even though a standing army remains. They are hoping that no large force shows up to oppose them and that they will get what they want without risking too many of their own troops.”

            Elena sighed and replied, “They also knew exactly who I was. Tom Arthus has to be behind this. He wants to make sure that no more Terranorans interfere in the Logos Order’s plans. In some way, this is my fault. …I have go and help stop this blockade! If the House Arthus gets their treaty signed, we will lose a major source of potential aid against the Logos Order!”

            Kyla and Arya both nodded to each other. The duo had been thinking roughly the same thing as Elena and Juliana had been talking.

            Zig declared, “Elena, Juliana, I will go with you two to Peralho city and help defend it! You helped save some of my people before. Now, it is my time to help your people in their time of need!”

            At that point, Kyla spoke up, she said, “You all do realize that this could be some kind of a trap? The fact that the documents detailing the operation were left in a Logos Order base that would almost certainly not be involved in the mission is suspicious to me.”

            As Arya nodded in agreement with Kyla, Elena sighed and explained, “Yes, I know that this could be a trap. However, I need to be accountable for what I have done, even if it did save you and Arya’s lives. I have the DWD and I now know how to warp back to Austean with near pinpoint accuracy. I fully intend to travel back to Austean with Juliana and Zig in tow as soon as I have rested. If you two want to stay in your own world and try to get back home, I cannot stop you. However, the Logos Order will still be out there and I am not sure if we will be able to find you two again after we leave this place.”

            Kyla and Arya both sighed. Arya then said, “I will go with the humans back to Austean. The way I see it, if we can turn the tables on the House Arthus at Peralho, it could cripple both their military and the Logos Order branch on Austean. We might even be able to assassinate Tom Arthus himself, or one of his key lieutenants.”

            Kyla looked over at her four companions. She knew that if she really needed to, she could probably get back to Polumbos City within a couple of weeks. She would likely have the money for transportation from looting the castle. She still missed her family dearly. She wanted to see them all again and get their aid in taking down the Logos Order and their master. At the same time, Kyla knew that she owed Elena and Juliana her life, or at minimum her freedom. Had they not shown up in the dungeon of the House Arthus North Arcane Tower when they did, she could have died helpless and alone. Kyla’s face took on a determined look. She slowly, her voice filled with conviction, said, “Fine, I will come with you four. We will go back to Austean and we will repel the House Arthus blockade. However, my one and only condition is that after the House Arthus is repelled from Terranor, we return to this world and go to Polumbos City. I need to see my loved ones again. Besides, we will want all the help we can get to bring an end to the Logos Order.”

            Arya then asked Kyla, “Knowing you, you probably want to learn exactly why we were kidnapped from Tom Arthus himself. Regardless, I think we should rest here for the night and then depart for Peralho tomorrow morning.”

            Kyla knew that Arya was right about her desire to confront Tom Arthus about her abduction and Arya’s. She just knew that she had been captured for a reason other than the Logos Order wanting to dissect Lucario. She also wanted to learn the true identity of the “Master of the Logos Order.”

            Elena said, “We will rest here for the night after looting whatever other useful materials we can find here. I will make sure that the DWD is fully recharged as well.” Elena paused and then continued, “I am glad that all of you will be coming with us. Kyla, I said that I would get you home earlier. I still intend to keep that promise. We will have to see what the situation looks like when we arrive. It has only been a few days since we raided the House Arthus airship. Therefore, they may have been planning _Operation Trident_ since our initial infiltration. They likely rushed the operation considerably in order to try and secure Terranoran non-interference. Tom Arthus must know that if the Logos Order’s real plans, whatever they are, get exposed, then Terranor could mobilize an army against him.”

            Juliana said, “Agreed, they may have even ordered warships already at sea to converge on Peralho. We can only hope that the Domain of Terranor takes this act of aggression seriously and fights back rather than giving in.”

            Everyone nodded in agreement with Juliana. They then got to work finishing looting the castle for any supplies and documents that they could make use of. After eating some looted food for a late dinner, Kyla and her allies slept in the castle’s living quarters for the night.

            The next morning, Elena gathered the travelers in the dining hall of the castle after they had all eaten a quick breakfast. She announced, “Last night, the spirit that has been trying to contact me said that she has a plan to get me to her location. She said that she wanted to execute said plan soon. I tried to tell her that I had another obligation for the time being. However, I am unsure if she heard me. Regardless, it is time for us to travel to Peralho and ensure that the House Arthus blockade fleet is destroyed and their plans are halted.”

            As Elena began to fiddle with the DWD, Juliana mentioned, “Kyla, Arya you two may not be native to Austean. However, Elena’s translation spell allows you to speak Austeanean for now. Also, our homeworld is populated with all sorts of magical beings. Therefore, most people will assume that you two are members of some species they have not yet met or heard of. I don’t think we will need to explain that you two are from another dimension unless it becomes absolutely necessary.”

            Zig added, “I will hopefully not attract too much attention in that case, since I am a human. Regardless, the people of Peralho should respect us. We are all coming to help them against the blockade, after all.”

            Elena then tapped a “button” on the DWD’s glowing energy panel. A portal leading to what looked like a back alley in a city of white-yellow buildings with red tile roofs appeared in front of her. Elena said, “Ok everyone, we will endeavor to meet with the local forces and see what we can do to either repel the blockade, or hold out until reinforcements arrive. We will not allow the city to surrender, even if we have to fight alone!”

            Everyone nodded in agreement. Then, the group marched through the portal. Once again, Kyla was the last one through. She clenched her three-fingered fists as she thought of how distant she would soon be from her loved ones again. However, she was determined to be true to her word given to Elena and the other travelers.


	21. Peralho City

            Kyla had just followed her four traveling companions back through the portal to Austean. The five travelers all found themselves in what seemed to be a back alley in an urban area. Many of the buildings in the vicinity were painted a cream-white color and had red-tiled roofs.

Once everyone was through, Elena closed the portal using the DWD. She then asked Kyla, “Could you scan the area with your aura sense? We need to find out if any kind of battle has already been joined.”

Kyla closed her eyes and scanned the vicinity with her Aura Sense. She had not been in any heavily populated areas other than Parfeld City since her abduction. However, years of living in Polumbos had allowed Kyla to acclimate herself to detecting a plurality of auras at once.

Kyla focused on different areas around her. She then focused on the emotions of the beings she sensed. It was clear that the surrounding vicinity was filled with living creatures. She detected a number of negative emotions in the area, but nothing that indicated active combat going on.

Kyla opened her eyes and told her companions, “There are a significant number of auras in the direct vicinity. However, none of them seem to be involved in active combat. It’s worth noting that I sensed a cluster of auras arguing nearby. One of them seemed similar Juliana’s aura, actually.”

Juliana thought for a second. She then surmised, “That could mean that there is another member of the United Church’s clergy here. We should go see if we can meet with them.”

Elena sighed a bit as Kyla said, “I will see if I can lead us to them. Like I said, they seem to be involved in an argument of some kind. We might not want to interject until it’s over unless we have to.”

Kyla lead the others through some empty backstreets and then out into a roughly circular plaza with buildings all around it. Humanoids of varying heights and skin colors wearing civilian clothes were walking through the plaza. They were all headed in the same direction and many of them had heavy packs on. There were a few primitive automobiles traveling across the plaza in the same direction as the civilians. A dark blue, armor-plated, military truck with six wheels and a machine gun turret mounted above the cab was parked on the opposite side of the plaza.

Kyla pointed to a spot right nearby the truck. There, the travelers saw four armored humans talking. On one side was a light-skinned human woman wearing an armored uniform similar to Juliana’s, but with darker blue coloration and white stripes instead of orange ones. Her hair was blonde and went down almost to her waist. At her belt was a large warhammer. a carbine rifle was strapped to her back. Next to the blonde woman was a dark-skinned young man with very short black hair. This man was wearing similar armor to the woman next to him. He also had an identical rifle at his back and a sword akin to Juliana’s at his belt.

One of the other side stood a tall, light-skinned, obviously muscular, human woman with red hair that went down to her shoulders. Her armor almost exactly matched Juliana’s in terms of color and design. Her weapons included a portable machine gun and a massive, two-handed, maul-style hammer. A small buckler shield similar to Zig’s hung off of one of her arms. The blond man standing next to the redheaded warrior was wearing an armored uniform that matched the design on the man opposite him, but with colors matching Juliana’s armor. He had a large sword at his belt that was still dwarfed by Zig’s. A revolver pistol could be glimpsed in a holster on his belt as well.

As Kyla and her companions approached the two pairs of humans, they heard the blonde woman saying, “You two know very well how I fell about your kind. You all have still failed to accept the fact that you are obsolete. This continent no longer needs your ‘guidance.’ Your damn church caused more harm than good with its lies.”

The blonde man sighed and retorted, “With the House Arthus having already blitzed in and seized the docks and their defenses, I think that you need all the help you can. Captain Woodstock, you know that beggars cannot be choosers. We are here and willing to lend our expertise to the defense of this city. You know that we cannot let them seize the City Hall before reinforcements arrive from up north. If they take this city, they may very well be able to force the Continental Council to meet their demands, whatever they may be.”

The redhead added, “Let us fight! I don’t honestly want to take orders from you, but we can at least help hold the enemy advance off until the trains come in with the first wave of reinforcements.”

The blonde woman sighed and put her hand to her face. She then announced, “At least they said that trains would be arriving tomorrow with more troops and equipment… Fine! If you insist on fighting, then so be it. You can help my units hold the line against the House Arthus’s advance. However, know that I still consider your falser faith to be the real enemy, not some foreigners who have hopefully underestimated the Domain’s willingness to fight back.”

The dark-skinned man told the blonde woman, “We can win this, Tanya…I mean Captain. They might have seized the docks, but we at least arrived in time to stop them from storming the entire city. We can also receive reinforcements faster than they can.”

Tanya Woodstock nodded at her lieutenant and replied, “You may be right, Emmet. For now, we just have to hope that the _Titan’s Hammer_ has already made significant headway here with its escort destroyers. We will need naval support if we want to end this quickly.”

            With that, the redhead said, through gritted teeth, “We will go and prepare then. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to prove ourselves.”

            As the two pairs of humans parted, their conversation over, the redhead and the blonde man saw the travelers and stopped in their tracks. The redhead regained her composure, smiled warmly and shouted, “Juliana?”

            Juliana began to run over to the nearby duo, shouting, “Lana, Stanley! I am so glad you guys are here! I have so much to tell you two.”

            Juliana ran into the arms of her adoptive big sister. Kyla noticed that Lana Carlton was much taller than either Juliana or Stanley. Kyla also remembered that Stanley, Lana’s childhood friend and lover, had been Juliana’s mentor in the priesthood of the United Church of God.

            Zig observed, “It seems that in this continent, the church and the military were linked closely. Even if that is no longer true now, it would explain Juliana and Stanley being priests and soldiers at the same time.

            Kyla smiled as she watched Juliana reuniting with two of her loved ones. She then was snapped out of thinking about her own family by the rapid approach of two auras, including an arcanist aura, from behind them.

            The travelers heard a female voice from behind them sternly asking, “So there you are, Elena. Now I can finally ask you one question… what did you do?”

            Elena whirled around followed by Zig, Kyla and Arya. The travelers saw two young women facing them. They both wore more lightly-armored versions of the armor worn by Tanya and Emmet. The one who had spoken had dark skin and slightly curly black hair. She had an old and worn-looking bolt-action rifle at her back and a combat knife at her belt. The girl next to her also had black hair, but much lighter skin. She was well-armed with a semi-automatic rifle at her back and a pair of short swords and semi-automatic pistols at her belt.

            The dark-skinned girl folded her arms, as her comrade looked Kyla and Zig over. The young soldier’s eyes focused on Kyla’s Sub-Machine Gun. Arya looked up at Elena, expecting her to answer the new arrival’s question.

            Elena looked awkwardly over at the new arrivals and replied, “Hey, Ruby, Emily. Long time no see?”

            The dark-skinned girl shot back, “Here its Sergeant Benson and Corporal Falchum respectively. Now, Elena, answer me. What did you do that pissed off the House Arthus of Dalugon? They are here in force now and I had a hunch it has something to do with your heading south to Dalugon after talking about getting involved with their research.”

            Elena defensively replied, “Look, Ruby, I did not do anything as a representative of Domain of Terranor. I also happen to know what the enemy’s ultimate goal in attacking this place is! The House Arthus is here now because they don’t want the Terranoran government to interfere with the Logos Order’s plans! They made their own choice to blockade this city. It sounds like the whole situation has already turned violent…”

            Kyla decide to interject, “The Logos Order, which Tom Arthus is a key leader of, kidnapped me and our associate Arya here from our home. They are talking about some being they call their ‘master.’ They are up to something insidious and I would have been likely been killed by them if it were not for being rescued during Elena’s infiltration.”

            Emily told her Sergeant, “It is not like Elena and Juliana broke any Terranoran laws. You know that we can’t prosecute them. Besides, I want to meet their new friends.”

            Ruby sighed and said, “At least our unit was running drills in the area when this whole mess began. I will take you to my tent where I can explain what has been happening here. Elena, you have better come back here to help us deal with the House Arthus…”

            Elena interrupted, “Yes, we have. Kyla, Arya and Zig here also came with me to help deal with this situation. I assume that Lana and Stanley will brief Juliana while you brief us.”

            Ruby nodded and then told the travelers to follow her and Emily to her tent. As they walked north of the square, Arya asked Elena, “How do you know those two anyway?”

            Elena replied, “Ruby is a battlefield arcanist, her specialty is cold magic. I met her while studying at the Agharta Academy of Magic. Emily… she is an old friend and brief ‘flame’ of mine, if you will. They both come from military families that sided with the second rebellion. Ruby’s older brother, Lieutenant Emmet Benson, you saw earlier.” Elena then whispered, “I always thought there was something going on between Emmet and his direct superior, Captain Tanya Woodstock, if you know what I mean.”

            Kyla asked Elena, “It seemed like Tanya hates the UCG more than even you do. Why do you think that is?”

            Suddenly, Emily looked back and chimed in, “Tanya’s father, Antonio Brown Woodstock, was once the Knight Captain of the United Church’s Holy Order of Knights. My parents knew him well. He ended up becoming a major leader in the second rebellion when the truth about the UCG was exposed. However, he was killed in a one-on-one duel with his former General, Sapphire Coril. Tanya’s mother, Sandra Woodstock, was newly pregnant with her when Antonio Woodstock was killed by Sapphire Coril. Sandra avenged her husband by killing Sapphire Coril. Tanya still blames the United Church for her growing up without a father.”

            Ruby did not bother to correct Emily for calling their commanding officer by her first name. She only added, “My father, James Benson, also knew Antonio Woodstock well. Emily, Emmet, Tanya and I all ended up in the army because of our parents, even though none of them forced military service on us.”

            It was not long until Kyla and her allies arrived at Sergeant Benson’s tent. There, they were to be briefed on the situation regarding the House Arthus’s assault on Peralho and exchange information. They had to assume that Juliana was going to be briefed on the situation by Lana and Stanley and then meet up with them later on. They had not wanted to disrupt Juliana’s reunion with her older sister and her mentor.


	22. Holding the Line

            Kyla was standing in a military briefing tent alongside Elena, Zig and Arya. With them were Sergeant Ruby Benson and Corporal Emily Falchum of the Domain of Terranor’s army. After briefly looking over a heavily-marked map of the city, Ruby told Emily, “Keep watch, Corporal. I would rather we not be disturbed unless it’s important.”

            Emily saluted Ruby and took up a position near the tent’s main flap. Before she turned away from the others, Emily commented, pointing at Kyla’s SMG, “When we get the chance, I would love to look over that gun. I have never seen a firearm like it. That underslung secondary barrel also intrigues me.”

            After Emily had taken up her watch positon, Ruby asked Elena, “I can only assume that the glowing gauntlet on your arm is the arcane warp machine you stole from the House Arthus? I also have a hunch that your purple-haired friend with the greatsword, Zig as you called him, is not from Austean. The same goes for your two vaguely canine companions. None of the intelligent species I have researched at the Academy remotely match their appearances.”

            Elena nodded and explained, “Kyla and Arya here were being held prisoner in the tower’s dungeon. We believe that they would have ended up the victims of dissection if we had not infiltrated the tower when we did. You are correct in that they are from another dimension. Zig we found nearly dead in yet another world after we escaped the Arthus Arcane Tower.”

            Arya chimed in, “Kyla and I are from the same world. We were captured at the same time by a strike team led by Lord Thomas Arthus himself.”

            Emily then looked over her shoulder and asked, “So, are you two friends, or were you two just in the same wrong place at the wrong time?”

            Kyla clarified, “We are not friends. In fact, we were in the middle of a duel, albeit a non-lethal one, when we were attacked and abducted. However, we have agreed to put our differences aside for the time being until we can return home and finish our duel.”

            Emily smiled awkwardly and replied, “Well, at least that sounds exciting.”

            Ruby rolled her eyes a bit. Then, she asked Elena, “Since Priestess Carlton is not here, I guess I have to ask you if we can trust these three. I would like some assurance that they can fight and will not just turn and run.”

            Elena quickly cut off her companions and told Ruby, “Juliana and I have been through some crazy stuff with these three since the tower infiltration. I can say with confidence that they are some of the best fighters I have ever met. They have all fought against House Arthus troops before and wiped them out with minimal resistance. We will be far more of an asset than a liability to your squad in this fight. You will have to trust me on that.”

            Arya then added, “I can roast entire squads with little trouble, given the right positioning…. I can also psychically overload their brains. That is not a pretty thing to watch…”

            Kyla mentioned, “I do not need my gun to fight. It only complements my existing capabilities. I can eliminate enemy units at most ranges, including melee.”

            Zig declared, “I was a lieutenant in my old military unit back on my homeworld. I never shied away from charging into the thick of enemy squads, even seasoned veterans.”

            Ruby looked over at Zig and admitted, “With that greatsword, I can believe it. However, we are on the defensive in this fight, so you better be a decent marksman as well.”

            Elena told to Ruby, “You brought us here to brief us on the current situation. Now that you know we can help you in this battle, you need to tell us what has happened here and what we are up against.”

            Ruby nodded and motioned for everyone expect for Emily to come over to the map table. She then explained, “Yesterday evening, the House Arthus fleet neared Peralho’s harbor. They had been sighted by fisherman earlier. Thankfully, said fishermen had been able to return to the city earlier and warn them of the approaching warships. The House Arthus sent four destroyers escorting six transport ships for this blockade. Not knowing what the fleet’s intentions were and with no warships currently in the harbor, the locals fired their port’s defensive cannons at the approaching warships. They only managed to damage a couple of the destroyers and sink one transport before fire from the destroyers wiped out most of the guns. Under the cover of darkness, as civilians fled and the local government sent out distress signals over the radio, House Arthus troops were landed at the harbor in force. They managed to seize the southern third of the city before an effective defense could begin to be mounted. Captain Woodstock’s unit, my unit, was called in and arrived this morning. The rest of Ruvia is scrambling its militias for this fight and the trains from Agharta are said to be bringing in more troops tomorrow. Also, a few friendly warships, including our navy’s flagship, are said to be on their way here at full speed. However, we still don’t know why the House Arthus sent such a small force with no backup. This cannot be the start of a full-scale invasion. They know they would lose such a conflict easily.”

            Elena pulled out the documents she had looted from the Logos Order castle and placed them on the table. She explained, “We know why the House Arthus launched _Operation Trident_ , this very attack. It is because Tom Arthus does not want Terranoran interference in the Logos Order’s activities. He has enough clout to get his family’s military support in trying to ransom this city in exchange for a treaty of non-interference to be signed by the Continental Council. They only planned to blockade this harbor at first. However, when the port’s cannons opened fire, the enemy fleet decided they needed to return fire and land troops in order to salvage their plot.”

            Kyla interjected, “What I want to know is the exact situation we are dealing with right now. What do you need us to do in order to repel this assault?”

            Ruby nodded approvingly at Kyla and explained, pointing to her map, “Our scouts believe that the enemy is regrouping now and will soon march up the main street of this city right to the city hall. We need to hold them off for today at least. If we can kill enough of their troops, they will have no choice but to retreat back to their lines at the city’s southern docks. I am going to take you four to the front line we have been setting up in preparation for the enemy offensive. We will have scattered troops defending the side streets. However, we think that the enemy will put their main thrust into a full -frontal assault for the sake of speed. We will need to hold our defensive positions so that they cannot break through to the city hall. We just need to outlast the bastards, since we hopefully have backup coming and they hopefully do not.”

            Everyone else in the tent nodded. Emily then told Ruby, “It looks like the troops around us are heading south, fast. I bet that the House Arthus force has regrouped and is moving to attack our front line!”

            Ruby declared, “We better join them! Your four are coming with Emily and I for now. Captain Woodstock has ordered us to protect the right-most flank of our front line. Thankfully, we should be out of their destroyers range for the time being.”

            Zig ditched his imperial rifle and grabbed a Vargas Technologies carbine rifle akin to Emily’s from a rack in the tent. Elena picked up some more clips of ammo for her own pistol. Kyla kept her own gun for the time being, despite being unable to find new ammunition for it. The travelers followed Ruby out of the tent and towards the main street front line. As they followed the Terranoran troops to their battle stations, they were soon joined by Juliana.

            Juliana looked over at the others and said, “Lana and Stanley are going with the main force to provide healing and combat support. I went back to find you all. I assume that everyone has been briefed on the situation?”

            Kyla nodded yes, as Juliana made sure that her revolver was loaded and ready to go. She had also picked up some more ammunition for her weapon.

            Emily told Juliana, “Nice to see you again, Juliana. It will be good to have a healer with us, despite what our captain says.”

            Juliana simply nodded, Kyla sensed in her aura that the young priestess was not the biggest fan of Emily Falchum. Kyla had an idea as to why that was, based on something Elena had said earlier. However, she kept it to herself as they all came on to the main street.

            The main street of Peralho City was quite wide and lined by many beautiful structures built in the local style. Tracks for, currently absent, cable cars lined the street as did a few abandoned motor vehicles. The Terranoran soldiers were taking up positions behind a series of makeshift barricades. These defenses were made from whatever heavy materials they could get their hands on and move into position. Emily climbed onto a makeshift sniper tower on the right flank of the barricades and readied her carbine rifle. Arya was boosted onto a position atop the barricades for her to snipe from. Elena conjured up a force shield, as did Ruby. Juliana readied her force armor. Zig readied his new rifle and Kyla took cover behind a thick metal plate. She noticed a Terranoran soldier getting on a machine gun turret nearby the right edge of the street.

            Kyla saw a wall of House Arthus soldiers advancing on them. These troops’ front line was composed of human and dwarven soldiers carrying heavy ballistics shields. These shields were even larger than Juliana’s. Behind them were firing lines of riflemen and women. Kyla sensed a few arcanist auras at the rear of the enemy formation as well. She did not sense Tom Arthus’s aura, however.

            Captain Tanya Woodstock, who stood near the center of the Terranoran front line shouted, “Do not let them advance past our line! All units, OPEN FIRE!”

            Hails of bullets erupted from both sides after Tanya gave her orders. Elena and Ruby pelted the shields of the enemy’s frontline troops with force rockets as Zig took potshots with his new rifle. Emily, Arya and some of the other elevated troops were able to snipe at enemies from behind their shield wall. Juliana shattered the shield of one enemy with a blast of purple fire as the House Arthus lines advanced. Kyla smiled and then used an Aura Sphere to down the riflewoman right behind the stunned former shield bearer.

            Zig shouted, “I wish we had artillery support!”

            Ruby shouted back, “I am our artillery support! I just need them to get closer before I can freeze them in their tracks.”

            As Juliana was healing a wounded infantryman so that he could keep fighting, the soldier manning the nearby machine gun turret took a sniper rifle round to the head.

            Emily called down, “I’ve got the sniper!” She then fired off some bullets into the top floor window of a nearby building and a male House Arthus soldier’s limp body fell out of it. Arya took down another enemy sniper with a well-aimed Flamethrower. Kyla then ran to the machine gun turret and got on it.

            As Terranoran snipers positioned behind their own front line focused on countering the few House Arthus snipers firing from elevated positions around the main street, Kyla did her best to mow down enemy troops firing from behind the shield wall using the machine gun turret.

            At that point a few blasts of energy started coming at the Terranoran lines from behind the shield wall. Kyla realized that the House Arthus arcanists had moved up and exposed themselves, so that they could attack their enemies more effectively.

            One of the enemy arcanists took a bullet to the head from Emily, as Ruby called out, “Their line just keeps advancing. We cannot let them get to the barricades!”

            Juliana fired a purple light ray into another arcanist, dropping her as she shouted, “That shield wall is blocking a significant portion of our attacks. We need to get around it!”

            Kyla ordered, “Emily, get on this turret! I can lead some of us around their lines. We need to outflank them!”

            Zig responded, “I am with Kyla!”

            Elena added, “Arya, you and I will stay here and blast the enemy once they are close enough and their shield wall is interrupted!”

            Ruby looked frustrated and then decided, “I am going with you, Kyla. Juliana, come with us to provide healing!”

            Kyla gave Emily the turret as bullets flew around them. Then, she led Zig, Ruby and Juliana into a side alley. She used her Aura Sense to pinpoint where the enemies were as they made their way through the back alleys.

            They passed a position where three allied soldiers had set up a chokepoint with a machine gun turret. Ruby told them to hold their position as Kyla said, “We are about to come out right alongside them. Get ready to hit them with your best shots!”

            Kyla, Zig, Ruby and Juliana soon emerged from an alleyway right alongside the passing House Arthus formation. Ruby ordered, “Let me start this off before you all charge on in.”

            Ruby blasted the enemy’s right flank with a blast of freezing air akin to the one Elena had used to wound Lothar at the Logos Order cell’s castle.

Juliana the followed up with a sonic blast to the enemy backlines. Zig and Kyla then charged forward Kyla used a Dragon Pulse to vaporize five of the surprised enemy troops. Then, Zig slashed into them with his greatsword and Juliana came charging in behind them. The shield bearers were now no longer forming as complete a line and they began to stop advancing. Arya leapt down onto the street, covered by Emily and Elena. She then charged forward and used her Extrasensory attack to drop an entire section of shield bearers in one shot.

As Kyla buried her Metal claws in an enemy soldier, Ruby froze an enemy arcanist to death with a ray of cold. Her spell was akin to the one Tom Arthus has used on Arya days ago. Juliana and Zig were hacking through the lines of the, now confused, enemy troops. It was not long until Tanya and Lana emerged from the Terranoran lines to lead a charge forward at the confused and outmaneuvered House Arthus force.

After Arya had incinerated most of the remaining House Arthus shield bearers, she rushed forward alongside the still force-shielded Elena.

The House Arthus troops now began to retreat, many of them turning and running without any real strategy. They most likely knew that they had to make it back to their own lines before they were entirely overwhelmed by the Terranoran forces.

Ruby called out, “Kill the arcanists first!”

Kyla pounced on a retreating arcanist, beating her to death with Close Combat as Zig and Juliana covered her against the other enemy troops. Ruby’s force shield was broken by enemy gunfire, but she countered by calling down a swarm of icicles on the enemy squad who had fired on her.

Elena caused the ground to erupt up and stun an enemy arcanist who then fell to concentrated machine gun fire from Emily.

Kyla saw Stanley focusing on healing the Terranoran injured. Lana split the skull of an enemy soldier who had dared to face off against her using her maul hammer. Tanya and Emmet kept the main charge going and gunned down two other retreating House Arthus soldiers. The Terranoran snipers had cleared out the enemy sniper units and were now firing on House Arthus soldiers who were trying to retreat through the backstreets.

With only less then fifteen enemy soldiers left in full retreat, Tanya ordered, “Don’t pursue them farther just yet! We do not want to end up in the range of their destroyers’ guns until our naval support arrives.”

Emmet added, looking proudly over at his younger sister, “Good job, Ruby. Your sneak attack might have just ensured our victory!”

As Tanya nodded in agreement, Ruby looked a tad awkward. She then pointed to Kyla and admitted, “It was actually her idea. She knew exactly how to find the enemy formation and catch them off guard, despite having never been to this city before?”

Kyla smiled proudly and nodded. She then pointed to her aura sensing organs and said, “These certainly came in handy today. I did not even have to waste any ammo in that battle.”

Lana looked over at Kyla and said, “Well then, I think we are somewhat in your debt. We have won the battle. Once reinforcements arrive, we can drive the enemy back into the sea and end this crisis.”

Tanya nodded grudgingly at Lana and then ordered, “We will return to camp now and rest. Tomorrow, with any luck. We will advance on the harbor and take it back!”

As the Terranoran forces cheered, Kyla thought, “Tomorrow, I will have to find out if Tom Arthus is in this city. If he is, then I will need to track him down. Hopefully, I can use the favor these people owe me to get the chance to confront him.”


	23. The Queen of Soldiers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the only one in the story told from Elena's perspective. Hopefully, you will see why when you read it.

\---

The Vega Hotel in northern Peralho:

            Elena Joland sighed a deep sigh as she sat on the bed in her hotel room the morning after the successful defense of Peralho’s main street. Kyla and her other traveling companions had each been given a room to stay in for the evening, since they had been so helpful in the defense of the city the previous day. In Elena’s mind, there was something she knew she had to do. However, it had come up at a bad time. Elena heard a knock at her door. She stood up and went to open it. As she had hoped, a casually dressed Juliana Carlton was standing in the doorway.

            Juliana told Elena, “I just spoke with Ruby, she says that reinforcements should be here within the next few hours. I think that _Operation Trident_ is really going to backfire on the Logos Order at this rate. Still, Captain Woodstock is going to want our help to finish off the House Arthus troops here.”

            Elena asked Juliana, “Can you come in for a moment? I need to speak to you in private.”

            Juliana looked a tad confused, but she nodded in affirmation. She then followed Elena inside and closed the door behind her.

            Elena and Juliana sat down on the hotel room bed’s edge. Elena took a deep breath as Juliana noticed that Elena had already clamped the DWD onto her arm before she had shown up.

            Juliana decided to ask Elena, “So…what is this about?”

            Elena looked her old friend in the eyes and muttered, “Ruby is going to be so pissed…” She then continued, “Juliana, I will not be participating in today’s mission, at least not immediately.”

            Juliana was clearly taken aback. She asked Elena, “Why? I don’t see why you would renege on your promise. You are not the type to suddenly turn tail and run from a fight. I know you too well to even suspect cowardice from you.”

            Elena replied, “Juliana…last night the spirit I have been trying to commune with reached out to me one more time. She said that she had finally found a way to help me reach her with the help of the DWD. She offered to invest me with her power in exchange for me listening to what she had to tell me. She even said she knows who the master of the Logos Order is! The craziest thing about it was that she had a humanlike face this time. …It looked a lot like mine? My point is, that I need to go to her and find out what is really going on.”

            Juliana took a moment to process all that Elena had just told her. She then asked, “You really are just too curious to wait any longer, aren’t you? Knowing you, I won’t be able to convince you to stay… will I?”

            Elena shook her head and added, “Don’t ask me why, but I know that this is not a trap. I feel a deep connection with this spirit. It’s almost like meeting with her was something I was always meant to do. I know that I have dragged you on a crazy adventure already, but I need you to trust me one more time. The life debt notwithstanding.”

            Juliana sighed and nodded, saying, “I will try to explain this to the others. However, you better come back here as soon as you can. With any luck, your meeting will not take long and you will be back in time for the battle.”

            Elena nodded, she then blushed a bit and added, “There is no one I trust more than you to cover for me.”

            Juliana smiled and replied, “Well, you have saved my life at least twice, despite saving lives usually being my job.”

            Elena then took a really deep breath and took Juliana’s hand in hers. She asked her old friend, “Juliana, do you know why I saved you years ago?”

            Juliana looked Elena in the eyes and asked her, “Why don’t you enlighten me?”

            Elena replied, “I know that I give you a hard time over your proclaimed need for faith in your life. The truth is, I do that because I think that you are better than religion. I think that you are better than religion for the same reason that I saved you from execution years ago, protected you from Lothar and would save you a thousand times if need be. …I love you, Juliana.”

            Faster than Elena could react, Juliana embraced her and held her tightly. Elena heard Juliana saying, her voice filled to the brim with emotion, “I have waited so long to hear you say those words. Yeah, you are a stuck up intellectual snob, but I have always known with absolute certainty that you are a good person underneath all of that.”

            Elena and Juliana looked each other in the eyes, smiled at each other and shared a gentle kiss that seemed to last for whole minutes. When Elena withdrew her lips from her beloved’s she promised, “When I get back, we will bring about an end to the Logos Order! We will do it together with our friends and allies beside us. I know that you will be ok out there. I will return here as soon as I can.”

            Elena got off of the bed after holding Juliana’s hands tightly for a moment. Juliana then told Elena, “I trust you enough to know that you understand what you are doing. Find out what you need, obtain the spirit’s power and get back to me, ok?”

            Elena nodded at her love and then her DWD began to glow with a bright series of burning flames that did not damage it. Elena and Juliana watched as coordinates were entered without any manual input. Once the coordinates were entered, Elena tapped the “button” that opened the portal. She then walked through it, blew Juliana a kiss and closed the portal behind her.

            When Elena looked around the place she had now found herself in, she observed a nearly featureless “landscape” colored in light orange. Each step that she took seemed to create ripples of fire on the “ground” beneath her feet. Elena could not see anybody. However, she could feel that there was a strong spiritual presence in this place.

            Elena decided to risk calling out, “Hello? Is anybody there?”

            A female voice that sounded familiar replied, “Yes, I am here. I was not able to warp you right to my position, but I will guide you to me and protect you if need be. I am so glad that you have finally arrived, we have much to discuss.”

            A pair of wings composed of flickering fire popped into reality in front of Elena and began to fly off, occasionally stopping for a moment. Elena decided to follow to wings of fire and see if they could lead her to the spirit she had come here to meet with.

            It felt like hours of walking before Elena saw what looked like a small but ornate temple in the distance. The temple occasionally sent up a gout of fire into the “sky” of the featureless orange dimension.

            As Elena neared the temple, the wings of fire vanished. She then felt a new presence. This one was hostile. Elena soon saw holes beginning to appear in the fabric of reality. Tendrils composed of hundreds of perfectly shaped blue objects, cones, rectangles, squares, trapezoids, spheres etcetera began to form into a wall in front of the entrance to the temple. Then, more of the tendrils began to appear and shoot out at Elena.

            Elena conjured a force shield and deflected a few tendrils with it. Then, as more of them began to menace her, a massive blast of fire ripped through the “wall” the tendrils had made in front of the temple entryway.

            As jets of targeted flame coming from the temple immolated the tendrils that were attacking Elena, the spirit’s voice called out, “Get inside quickly! You will be safe in my home!”

            Elena did as she was told. She began to glow as she magically increased her speed. The young woman then charged inside of the temple before any more tendrils could appear and reach her.

            When Elena entered the temple a wall of rushing fire blocked the entryway. She was trapped in the temple, but hopefully safe. Elena then advanced into the central shrine which had an altar on it. A symbol akin to a pair of fiery wings was carved into the altar. Torches lined the stone room as well. Elena began to feel an intense, but comforting, presence as a female-looking figure composed of a fiery outline appeared in front of the altar.

            Elena semi-nervously walked up to the fiery woman. The outline of the spirit’s face began to take on the appearance of Elena’s own face. Elena was now only about a foot away from the humanoid spirit. She could not help but ask her host, “Well, you wanted to meet me and now I’m here. Who exactly are you and why did you need to meet me with specifically. I have taken quite a risk by coming here. I just want some answers…”

            The spirit-woman’s back began to sprout a pair of wings made of stable fire. She then smiled at Elena and told her, “You can call me the Flamehawk. As for why I wanted to meet with you specifically, Elena Joland, that will require some explaining. Once my story is told, you will know why I summoned you here as well as the identity of our shared enemy, the master of the Logos Order.”

            Elena folded her arms and replied, “I never heard of a spirit with your name from my mother. I can tell that fire is obviously a part of your portfolio. Regardless, why don’t you begin, Lady Flamehawk. For all I know, my allies could need my help as we speak.”

            The Flamehawk smiled again and explained, “Unlike most spirit entities, I was born as a human noble girl, much like yourself. My mother taught the ways of spirit calling on my homeworld while my father taught me the ways of the soldier. Through tumultuous events, I found myself thrust onto the battlefield not sure of what I was capable of. However, in time my combination of magical and martial skills won me great renown. I became a symbol of liberation to people across my homeworld. They called me the Flamehawk and said that I was the ‘Queen of Soldiers’ for my litany of accomplishments as a freedom fighter. I fought until my own home was free and at peace. However, a menace lurked beyond my own home. You see, I have been watching you and I was very pleased when you saved the Lucario who goes by Kyla. She and her associate/rival Arya were present for the final defeat of a being known as Anarchos, correct?”

            Elena nodded and replied, “Yes ma’am. I heard that story from them once.”

            The Flamehawk continued, “Anarchos was powerful and evil. However, they were only a small-scale menace in the grand scheme of reality. They were content to stay in their home dimension until the arrival of Arceus and even after Arceus temporarily defeated them and forced them into hiding. However, Anarchos had an opposite, Aximos the Primal Order. Aximos was far more ambitious than Anarchos. Leaving his ‘twin’ to their own devices, Aximos gathered dozens of worlds under his control over centuries upon centuries. As a god incapable of gaining a solid understanding of mortal life, Aximos was incapable of creating societies that were conducive to mortal flourishing. However, he still believed in his own right to rule others with an intense passion. My homeworld came to be invaded my armies loyal to Aximos. They wanted to absorb my home into Aximos’s cosmic empire. I led the charge that fended off the invaders, albeit at great cost. However, I did not stop there, I gathered a grand crusade and fought into my old age dismantling the empire that Aximos had built. When the time finally came to confront the mastermind himself, I fought a great battle against Aximos with the aim of killing him and ending his empire for good. As hard as I fought, he was too powerful. I weakened him severely, to the point where it would take centuries for him to regain his full strength. Still, he struck a killing blow against me after penetrating all of my magical defenses. As I lay dying from Aximos’s final attack, I used up the last of my power to cast one more truly mighty spell.”

            Elena then asked, “So, you sealed this Aximos away?”

            The Flamehawk nodded no and finished, “Aximos is still recuperating in his private dimension. His empire fell, but he survived the battle narrowly. My spell turned me into the spirit of liberation I am now after my mortal body’s death. However, it also cast shards of my being into various human worlds across existence. For the last few centuries, girls named Elena Joland, my birth name, with unique potential have been born as my quasi-reincarnations. You are the one who has shown the most potential at the right time. Aximos has created the Logos Order and empowered their priests with the goal of laying the seeds for rebuilding his empire once he is back at his full power. Those tendrils that attacked you came from him. He has been trying to stop us from meeting, but he has failed. I have lately sensed Aximos recuperating at a faster rate than before. He has done something to enhance his strength. However, I do not yet know what it is. My power primarily effects this realm and my reincarnations….”

            At that point, Elena stammered, “That is why we have the same face? In some way, I am you?”

            The Flamehawk laid a hand on Elena’s shoulder, it did not burn her at all, oddly enough. Suddenly, wings of fire sprouted from Elena’s back as the DWD began to buzz, its power being fully recharged. Elena felt a massive surge of arcane power beginning to well up in her body at the same time.

            Elena was told, “You are like me, a freedom fighter. But more importantly, you are a Flamehawk! The Flamehawk of Austean! I am so sorry to lay this burden on you, but you must defeat the Logos Order and ensure that Aximos is killed for before he can fully regain his godly power. You have a great gift already. I am going to enhance it so that you can wield my burning power into battle. Also, the warping machine on your arm is being enhanced. Just imagine where you want to open a portal to, or even multiple portals to, as specifically as you can and it will do so with near-perfect accuracy now. I have faith that you will be the one to finish what I started. For as long as you need it, my power will be with you. What do you say?”

            Elena smiled at the wings of fire on her back faded. She did not feel burdened by the new revelations. She now felt like her existence had true meaning. She then proudly declared, “I will finish what you started. I will do it for freedom, for those Aximos and his Logos Order have harmed… and so that I can destroy the source of a religion!”

            The Flamehawk briefly face-palmed. She then sighed, sounding like a crackling flame. She then replied, “You should return to Austean and confront Aximos’s chosen one. That being your rival Thomas Arthus. Your friends and your beloved need you and the power I have bestowed upon you.”

            Elena nodded and closed her eyes. The DWD began to glow with orange light as new coordinates were entered. Elena then finished, “I will return to my comrades and my love. However, I need to see if I can get us some particular reinforcements first. I made a promise to my friend Kyla that I intend to keep.”

            The Flamehawk nodded approvingly. Elena then stepped through a newly-opened portal. This one leading to Polumbos City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The concept of the Flamehawk was inspired by the legend of the phoenix, something that will be mentioned later in this story. However, I have also realized that I was probably subconsciously inspired by the character Lilith from the Borderlands series in terms of the name and the aesthetic. Regardless, the next chapter returns the perspective to Kyla.


	24. Confrontation on the Battlefield

\---

Sergeant Ruby Benson’s Briefing Tent:

            Kyla was sitting on a chair with her arms folded in Ruby’s tent. Arya was sitting next to her watching as Ruby fumed. Emily looked concerned and vaguely frustrated. Zig was standing not far from Kyla and Arya and Juliana was standing nearby the obviously angry Ruby. Juliana had just told everyone about Elena having gone off to commune with the spirit she had been trying to reach in person.

            Ruby placed one of her hands on her head and let out a deep sigh, trying to calmly vent her frustration. Kyla could easily sense the tension in the auras of the three human girls in the room.

            Ruby then placed her hands on her hips and said, “I am going to give Elena Joland a serious piece of my mind when she gets back here… which she better! She promised that she would help us clean up this mess, whether or not it is her fault. Now, she has up and disappeared and we have to try and finish this battle without her.”

            Kyla stood up and pointed out, “Elena is only one arcanist. We can win this fight without her support. The rest of us will still have your back, Sergeant Benson. We will drive the House Arthus forces into the sea.”

            Emily then chimed in, “The good news is our reinforcements are almost here, according to the radio transmissions we have been receiving from up north.”

            Arya asked Ruby, “Changing the subject a bit…. Last night after the enemy was driven off, Kyla and I asked you to try and gain intelligence on where Lord Thomas Arthus was. We still believe that he was given command of _Operation Trident_. However, we did not see him advancing along with his troops yesterday. Do we know where he is? Is he still on one of the enemy warships?”

            Ruby’s face took on a more serious expression as she pointed to a spot on her map. The spot represented the eastern flank of the city’s harbor. She then explained, “Our efforts at reconnoitering the enemy’s positions have gathered that Lord Arthus landed with a few fresh enemy reinforcements at the harbor last night. With our navy coming in from both the east and the west to outflank the House Arthus’s ships, their commanders back in Dalugon will want to withdraw. From what we have gathered, Tom Arthus is trying to rally his forces to hold their current positions in order to convince his superiors to send backup. He knows that he cannot afford to withdraw without being blamed for his operation’s failure.”

            Zig announced, “In that case, we have to finish this soon!”

            Juliana, who had been silent for a short bit, said, “Agreed. Even without Elena here, we will need to take the fight to our enemy and end this conflict with all deliberate speed. Ruby, is that spot you pointed to on the map Tom Arthus’s current command post?”

            Emily stepped in to say, “As one of the scouts who snuck past enemy lines last night, I can say that that is where he was last seen. A House Arthus staff car was seen nearby that old stone observation tower. The tower is three stories tall and has a wide-open top deck that commands a good view of the ocean and the docks directly around it.”

            Kyla declared, “That tower will be my target in that case. I am going to breach the defenses there and confront Tom Arthus myself if I have to!”

            Zig told Kyla, “I will be there to fight by your side!”

            Juliana and Arya both nodded in agreement with Zig as Ruby sighed and announced, “Captain Woodstock is waiting for our backup at the train station now. Once more friendly troops pour in to this city, she will lead the charge to the docks to take out the enemy transports before they can evacuate their forces to the safety of their destroyers. Our navy will be here soon and should have little trouble sinking the enemy fleet. The _Titan’s Hammer_ , our fleet’s flagship dreadnaught commanded by Admiral Christopher Hooper, will be leading the task force coming down from the east. Our destroyers are bigger and more heavily armed and armored than theirs as well. The good news for you all is that Captain Woodstock has ordered Emily and I to accompany your group. We will help you in your attempt to confront Lord Arthus. Emily has already found the path of least resistance to his position. Five of my best soldiers will also accompany us to help hold off the enemy while you break into the tower. The rest of my squad will accompany Captain Woodstock and the main force she will command.”

            Kyla grinned excitedly and said, “Excellent! I might not support Tanya’s feelings about Juliana’s faith, but I respect her tactical sense.”

            Arya agreed, “She has certainly earned her rank, it would seem.”

            Zig enthusiastically added, “What are we all waiting for! I want to see how well this vaunted Lord Arthus fairs against all of us, even with Elena gone.”

            As the group of six left the tent to meet with Ruby’s soldiers, who were equipped with medium shields, longswords and carbine rifles, Juliana finished, “Elena will come back to help us. That I am sure of.”

            Kyla sensed great trust in Juliana’s aura. It was stronger than she had sensed before in the young priestess. She simply nodded as the unit of eleven fighters began to make their way south through the embattled city.

            It was not long before Emily lead the others past the Terranoran front lines and through a series of back alleyway and side streets. Eventually, Kyla began to sense a large cluster of auras, which she assumed was the enemy’s main force. Emily ended up leading her allies away from the main enemy force that was gathered at the harbor docks. It was not long until Kyla sensed multiple smaller aura clusters to the southeast of them.

            As the group closed in on their target, Kyla sensed the aura of Tom Arthus for the first time in a while. Snarling slightly, she told the others, “I know where Arthus is. He is above us to the south and being guarded by four others. They are likely stationed atop the observation tower.”

            Ruby nodded as Emily replied, “We are almost to the enemy position. Once we get there, we can figure out our plan.”

            It was only a few moments more when Kyla and her allies found themselves taking cover in an alleyway that led onto an open space bordering a stone observation tower. Ten House Arthus soldiers, including two arcanists patrolled the area surrounding the tower. A dark green six-wheeled automobile with the symbol of the House Arthus on its front hood was parked in front of a towering staircase on the side of the tower that led from the street level all the way the top. There was one other man who appeared to be an officer standing by the staff car. His aura was clearly different than any of the other enemies in the vicinity. Kyla was not sure what he really was. Kyla could also sense more enemies inside of the tower on the second floor. Another squad of around twenty hostile troops not far away from the tower was also in her detection range.

            Emily broke the silence by telling her comrades, “They have one sniper covering the street from atop the tower. The staircase to the side is heavily guarded and there are probably more enemies not far away.”

            Kyla replied, “Yes there are. I think we may need to split up and have one team take on the enemies inside of the tower while the other team covers us against the majority of the enemy. Something about that officer feels strange…”

            Ruby did not waste much time thinking. She ordered, “Kyla, you clearly want to scale the tower from the inside and take down the enemy commander. You take your three allies and do that. I will lead my unit to create a diversion and try to eliminate the enemy force out here before their nearby allies can realize what is going on and reinforce them.”

            Arya looked up at Kyla and then at Ruby. She then declared, “Sergeant Benson, your troops will likely need my firepower against superior numbers. I intend to come with you to give your unit a better chance in case more enemy troops show up. Kyla, kill that so-called ‘Sorcerer General’ if you can! I am sure that Zig and Juliana will help you see this through.”

            Kyla smiled at Arya and told her, “I think you honestly made the right choice. They will need your support down here. Now, let’s start this off!”

            Kyla emerged from cover with Zig and Juliana right behind her. She then fired an Aura Sphere at the House Arthus sniper covering the street. The sphere smashed through masonry and killed her in one hit. Kyla then rushed for the wooden double door of the observation tower at full speed. Juliana and Zig followed her as fast as they could with their swords and shields drawn.

            Ruby and Emily followed their five soldiers out into the street. Arya dropped an enemy infantryman with a Flamethrower, as the two squads prepared to engage each other.

            Suddenly the House Arthus officer stepped forward and fell to his knees, glowing with a brilliant energy. Arya asked, “Is he…evolving?”

            Emily gasped, as the man transformed into a winged reptilian beast the size of a large truck with red scales, fiery breath and razor sharp claws. She called out, “Enemy dragon!”

            Ruby shouted, her hands channeling frozen wind, “Protect me while I try and put out his fires!”

            Arya exclaimed, “I will cover you against their infantry. Being enflamed only makes me more dangerous!”  

            Kyla watched as her allies bravely took on the dragon officer and his troops. She took a deep breath, knowing that her allies were distracting a dangerous enemy. Kyla then reached the door and kicked it open with one strike. She would not allow herself to fail here, she would confront Arthus and hopefully put a stop to him today.

            With Juliana and Zig right behind her, Kyla dashed up the stairs to the second floor of the tower. When the trio reached the second floor, they were confronted by six House Arthus soldiers. Kyla saw the second set of stairs leading to the top of the tower. She then told her companions, “Cover me! We cannot afford to waste time here.”

            Juliana put up some force armor around Kyla, who then charged past the surprised enemy troops. Zig rushed the enemy formation to cover Kyla, forcing half of the hostiles to draw melee weapons. Kyla’s force shield took a few hits from enemy fire. However, Juliana charged in to cover Kyla against the enemy soldiers firing at her.

            Kyla ran to the staircase and began to rapidly ascend it. She sensed Tom Arthus and three others at the top of the staircase. With her force armor still protecting her, Kyla felt as though she could defeat them all if she fought her hardest. This time, she would be on the offensive.

            Kyla emerged from the staircase and found herself on the stone brick, open air, top floor of the observation tower. She saw two groups of dark blue warships in the distance moving into engage the House Arthus destroyers in a pincer formation. In front of her were two supply crates. Beyond them were two black-armored soldiers with portable machine guns. Behind them was one lightly armored woman in dark green holding a sniper rifle at the ready.

            Standing in between the two heavy soldiers in their black armor was Tom Arthus. He looked at the new arrival and smiled. He then said, “Kyla, it is actually good to see you. At least I will have something to show for this miserable failure of an operation.”

            Kyla began to charge an Aura Sphere as the two gunners began to aim their weapons at her. She then asked, “Tell me one thing, Arthus. Why was I kidnapped? Why are you targeting my species?”

            Tom responded as he conjured a force shield around himself, “I wanted to produce a new piece of magical equipment that would grant the wearer the Aura Sense your species has. That is all I will say for now…”

            The House Arthus sniper fired at Kyla, severely weakening her force armor. Kyla then fired her Aura Sphere into the sniper, knocking her off of the tower to her death.

            As the two machine gunners opened fire and Tom projected a trio of beams of flaming energy at Kyla, the Lucario dove for a supply crate and took cover behind it. While Kyla was not injured by enemy fire, her force armor was shattered by the storm of projectiles and magical flames.

            As Kyla readied her Sub-Machine gun, she heard Tom saying, “You really are a determined one, aren’t you? Fine, I will tell you some more…my master specifically told me to abduct and dispose of you first as part of my research. He gave me that order precisely because he believed that your strong will could lead to you becoming a threat to his plans. That is truly all that I know…”

            An enraged Kyla leapt over the supply crate as the two machine gunners were reloading. Tom held out his hand as she neared his position. Green tendrils of energy began to wrap around most of Kyla’s body, holding her in place.

            Tom gloated, “It was so easy to get you angry. All that it took was the truth.” He then upholstered a semi-automatic pistol and said, as his two gunners took aim at Kyla, “At this point, you have proven yourself too much of a threat to be kept alive.”

            Kyla struggled to break free of her magical bonds. However, she was held in place and unable to even speak.

            As Tom and his two soldiers took aim at Kyla, with the Sorcerer General sighting her head, a squad of House Arthus soldiers led by a human officer rushed up the outer stairs of the observation tower. Tom turned his head as the officer in charged told him, “My Lord, the Terranoran army is shredding through our main force! We need to fall back to the transports now!”

            Tom responded, as he aimed his pistol right between Kyla’s eyes, “Let me finish something first, then we will retreat…”

            BOOM! An enormous explosion of fire detonated over the House Arthus squad, consuming most of them in mere seconds. Elena’s voice called out, “Tom Arthus, chosen one of Aximos… FACE ME!”

            Kyla saw Tom and his soldiers looking up to see Elena Joland carried aloft by wings of fire. The Sorcerer General angrily screamed, “Fuck! We were too late! She discovered who she really is… a Flamehawk.”

            Tom and his soldiers all opened fire on Elena, who was protected by a multi-layered force shield of her own.

            Elena then announced, “I have brought some friends, Tom. Friends who would love to brutalize you for your misdeeds! Once you are dead, your master, Aximos, will be next!”

            Kyla focused herself internally and picked up six familiar auras she had not sensed in days fighting the enemy nearby the outer staircase. From what she could also tell, the dragon was fading fast. Juliana and Zig had nearly finished mopping up their foes. Arya, Ruby and Emily were all still alive. Kyla focused herself completely and burst out of her magical bonds. She then witnessed two aura sphere fly up from below and tear into the two heavy soldiers’ chests, killing each of them. Kyla realized that Elena had kept her promise in a roundabout way. Somehow, rather than bringing Kyla home to her family, Elena had brought Kyla’s family to her.

            As Elena and Tom blasted at each other with spells, Kyla was about to charge him when she saw that there were still three House Arthus soldiers, including their officer, taking aim at her. A brown muddy orb flew upwards and detonated over the three soldiers, obscuring their aim and clogging up their firearms.

            As Kyla grinned and charged the trio, she heard a familiar male voice shout, “Kyla, catch!”

            A small, perfectly round, stone, Kyla’s Mega Stone, flew above the enemy troop’s heads. Kyla caught her Mega Stone with one hand and squeezed it. As energy flooded into her body, Kyla saw another surge of energy below her on the staircase.

            The source of the second energy surge, a blue and orange muscular amphibian known as a Swampert, rushed towards one of the House Arthus troops. He blasted the enemy soldier’s chest open with a torrential beam of water.

            The now Mega-Evolved Kyla charged the enemy officer and buried her Metal Claws in his chest.

            Kyla turned to Tom and called down to her best friend, “Stephan, take the last one! I am going for their leader!”

            Stephan urgently called back, “Don’t get close to him!”

            Kyla was about to ask why when she saw Tom’s staff car flying up over the tower and coming down in an arc aimed at the Sorcerer General. Tom, who had been busy dodging and countering the now-empowered Elena’s spells, conjured a three-layered force shield around himself. However, he was still knocked back a considerable distance by the impact of his own staff car coming crashing down on him.

            Kyla saw Juliana and Zig coming charging up the stairs. Stephan dispatched the final House Arthus soldier by knocking him off of the tower with a mighty swing of his arm as they did so.

            Elena then called out, “Ruby has finished the enemy dragon with some help. Arthus, your forces are being crushed! Even now, the _Titan’s Hammer_ is bombarding your fleet into oblivion…”

            Tom got up, his force shield gone, as Kyla rushed him with claws at the ready. He then told Elena, “You have gotten too grandiose, girl. As for me, I guess discretion is the better part of valor…”

            Tom made a quick gesture as Kyla neared him. He was carried away in a pillar of green light that shot into the sky and rapidly zoomed south.

            Kyla’s Mega-Evolution wore off as she angrily punched the floor with her fist. Elena landed and then rushed into Juliana’s arms. As they kissed, Zig looked vaguely surprised. However, Kyla had seen that coming since soon after she had met the pair.

            Kyla then walked over to Stephan, who had also reverted to his normal form. The two of them shared a high five. Stephan then pointed down the stairs.

            Kyla saw a dead dragon, an injured but still standing Ruby, Emily and Arya and three figures walking up the stairs.

            Tears welled up in Kyla’s eyes as the three figures stopped and looked up at her and Stephan. Two of them were Lucario like her, one male and one female. The third was a towering, heavily muscular, purple-grey humanoid with a vaguely reptilian face and a bony crest atop his head.

            Kyla rushed down the stairs at full speed. When she reached the trio, she collapsed into the arms of her husband Chadwick. The two of them shared a silent but tearful embrace as their two oldest children, Ana and Rico looked on. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Stephan’s husband Stanford and Ana’s wife Cordelia as well as Ruby’s soldiers. However, all that Kyla cared about for the moment was that she was alive and that she was back in Chadwick’s arms. Kyla was not sure what had happened to Elena. However, whatever transformation had occurred, it had led to both her survival and her being reunited with her family.


	25. Catching Up

            After days of danger and uncertainty, Kyla was back in the arms of her husband Chadwick. As Kyla was being embraced, she felt the arms of her two oldest children, Ana and Rico, wrapping around her as well. Kyla’s Aura Sense told her that Elena, Juliana and Zig had gathered at the top of the observation tower’s external staircase to look down at the family reunion. She was still completely unsure how Elena had harnessed such devastating magical power moments earlier and who “Aximos” was.

            When Kyla and Chad finally withdrew their arms from each other, Rico and Ana also stepped back from the family group hug. Kyla then realized something and asked, “Where’s Macy?”

            Chad put his hand on Kyla’s shoulder and calmly told her, “Marina and Henry are taking care of her. She should be safe with them. My parents should be able to help in that regard if necessary.”

            Kyla let out a sigh of relief. She knew that her mother and stepfather would be able to care for and, if necessary, protect her youngest child. as Ana commented, “Even with our help targeting it, that car throw was amazing dad!”

            Stephan walked down over to Kyla and family and hugged Kyla briefly. He then added, “It nearly took out that human with the strange powers too. It looks like you were out to get that guy, Kyla?”

            As Stanford, Stephan’s Sceptile husband and Cordelia, Ana’s Medicham wife walked up the stairs to meet with the larger group, Kyla replied, “That was Tom Arthus, Sorcerer General of the Logos Order. He was the one who led the strike team that kidnapped Arya and I. He is quite a dangerous enemy and would have executed me right there, had you all not arrived when you did. We have a lot to fill you guys in on. …Still, I’m overjoyed to see you all again!”

            Juliana then chimed in from atop the staircase, “Kyla really did miss you all. She expressed her worries about you guys on multiple occasions. Also, in terms of introductions, my name is Juliana Carlton, Junior Priestess of the United Church of God.”

            Elena then explained, “I have a lot to fill everyone in on as well. I have learned quite a bit today myself. We should ensure that the enemy forces here have been wiped out and then head over to the Vega Hotel. We can discuss everything there.”

            Kyla nodded she then looked up at Elena and told her, as Arya was walking up the stairs with Ruby and Emily, “Elena, I am still not sure how you did it, but you fulfilled your promise. You reunited me with my loved ones when I needed them the most …Thank you.”

            As everyone was about to head off to regroup with the main Terranoran force, Rico asked Kyla, “Mom, is that a human Sub-Machine gun? Why does it have a second barrel?”

            Kyla simply smiled at her son and told him, “To answer your first question, yes, it is and I have gotten a good bit of use out of it. To answer your second question, the second barrel shoots out blue fire… it’s freaking awesome!”

            Chad sighed and mentioned, “I have wondered if she had a thing for human firearms ever since the air raid on Hillcrest City…”

            Arya bristled a bit as Rico kept looking over Kyla’s gun. Kyla pointed to Zig and told Rico, “The gun is from his homeworld, you can ask him all about it.”

            Zig protested, “Swords are more my thing, really.” He then regained his composure as Emily told Rico, “We can investigate it together. I also want to know how it works.”

            Ruby added to Emily, “Just don’t go blowing yourself up, Corporal.”

            As Emily rolled her eyes, Elena added, “My recent power boost allowed me to cast my translation spell on multiple people at once. That certainly came in handy over in Polumbos.”

            As everyone headed over to regroup with the main force, they saw the remaining, heavily damaged, House Arthus destroyers sinking beneath the waves. It seemed like the battle for Peralho had been handily won.

            After Ruby and Emily checked in with Tanya and Emmet, everyone learned that the House Arthus ground forces had been defeated at the Peralho harbor and that the Terranoran Navy’s arrival had ensured that the small House Arthus fleet had no chance to cover their infantry at the harbor. Four of the enemy transport ships in the harbor had been seized by the Terranoran military and one the other had been sunk as it had tried to make it back out to sea. For the moment, it seemed as though no other House Arthus reinforcements were on their way. In the end, _Operation Trident_ had failed spectacularly.

            Elena, Juliana and Zig accompanied Arya, Kyla and Kyla’s family and friends back to the Vega Hotel. Lana and Stanley stayed at the docks to help heal the injured and secure the captured transport ships and their surviving crews. Ruby and Emily said that they would meet everyone at the hotel as soon as they were dismissed from active duty.

Once Ruby and Emily had joined the travelers and their Pokémon reinforcements in the Vega Hotel’s lobby, Elena explained the details of her meeting with the Flamehawk Spirt to everyone. She and Juliana also semi-awkwardly explained their mutual confession of love that had taken place just before Elena’s departure. Emily seemed upset for a moment. However, she shrugged her apparent disappointment off reasonably quickly and kept listening.

The travelers then went over the details of their adventures beginning with Kyla and Arya’s abduction then their escape from the Arcane Tower, saving Zig’s life and then their brief stint in Europa. They then went over being driven into the world of the colossi by Helga Werner’s forces. After that, they discussed the airship raid and their brief return to the Pokémon world. From there, they caught up to the present with their return to Austean. They finished with yesterday’s battle, in which they had driven the House Arthus forces back away from the Peralho City Hall.   

            After everyone was caught up on the travelers’ adventures, Kyla asked Elena, “That just leaves the question of how you went and found my family after you met with the Flamehawk Spirit.”

            Ruby then mentioned to Elena, “I still think you should not have just left like that…still your actions may very well have saved Kyla’s life. As for the spirit that you are reincarnated from, it does somewhat remind me of the old legend of the Phoenix. A magical bird that is reborn in a plume of fire every time it dies.”

            Elena answered, “Maybe the Flamehawk inspired the Phoenix legend. Or maybe a version of that legend on her home world inspired her to take on that title? Regardless, here is how I found Kyla’s family and brought them here. After I had the power of the Flamehawk bestowed on me, I was able to imagine Polumbos City as best as I could and the DWD took me there. I used an invisibility spell on myself until I found Ana walking alone somewhat nearby Kyla’s home. Appearing before her, I quickly cast my translation spell and asked her if she knew Kyla. When she said yes and that Kyla was her mother, still stunned to see a living human, I realized who she was. I introduced myself and told her that I knew her name as well.”

            Ana then took over, saying, “I was walking nearby where Elena was because I thought I sensed a strange Aura in the vicinity. It turned out to be Elena’s. Elena asked me to take her to my home after our initial meeting. There, I found dad and Rico with Cordelia and Macy. After Elena did whatever she does to translate our speech, she explained to us that she knew mom and that we needed to follow her. Rico and I used our Aura Sense to make sure she was being honest. The truth is, we had known that mom and Arya went off to hold their duel, but we could not find any trace of them after we followed their tracks to the clearing.”

            Chad continued, “We had found unfamiliar tracks at the spot where the duel took place. However, we still had no idea what had become of either Kyla or Arya. We suspected foul play on Arya’s part at first. However, when no trace of her could be found either, we realized that that was probably not the case. When Elena found us, she was our only real lead. We decided to leave Macy with Marina and Henry after agreeing to go with her to find you. Thankfully, Stephan and Stanford were in Polumbos to help try to search for you. Our friends Delilah and Rexford were in Megapolis when Elena arrived, so they could not come with us.”

            Rico finished, “We were all shocked to meet a living human and one with supernatural powers at that. Still, we knew that we needed to find you, mom. Using that machine on her arm, Elena warped us to the docks where we joined Arya and her human allies in fighting off the House Arthus forces. Stanford and Cordelia stayed to help finish off that draconic monster leading some of the enemy. The rest of us charged past it to try and help mom. Thankfully, Ana and I sensed mom’s aura and those of the enemies confronting her and we were able to act on that information.”

            Kyla nodded, she then noticed that Emily was examining her SMG after having removed the clip of ammunition that had been previous loaded into it. Kyla told Emily, “You are going to give that back to me when you are done with it. I fully intend to hang it on my wall when this whole mess is finished. …unloaded of course.”

            Arya then changed the subject, announcing for all to hear, “I think we are missing the biggest point here. Elena told us about an entity called Aximos. If that being is an entity on par with Anarchos then we need to act quickly to destroy him. I was nearly sacrificed to Anarchos and even if Aximos is their opposite, no one is safe with an alien entity of that power level prowling the multiverse. I might have helped command an empire before, but if the Flamehawk Spirit is to be believed, Aximos is not as fit to rule as he says he is. We have to find a way to reach him and kill him before he can threaten reality again.”

            Elena nodded approvingly. Kyla sensed that Elena was both embracing her newfound purpose in life and also becoming more positively predisposed towards Arya. The young woman was fully committed to finishing the mission of the Flamehawk Spirit.

            Ruby then said, “Arya is right to be sure. I will see if I can talk with Captain Woodstock about gathering intel on the House Arthus’s next move. I know that their North Arcane Tower is not far from the sea. It should be heavily defended. However, if we can gather an expeditionary force quickly, we should be able to overwhelm the defenders. We need to confront Lord Arthus and make sure that he does not escape this time.”

            Elena then said to Ruby, “Good to hear that you are onboard. I think I can use the DWD to gather more allies when the time is right. You see, we asked Kyla’s mother and stepfather to inform the Alliance Territory authorities in Megapolis of what is going on. I am hoping that a unit of powerful creatures from that world could really help turn the tide against our enemy in the battle to come. …Also, I think I can get us a few ‘siege engines’ for the assault. I know that both Pelagia and Kuromori said that they wanted to assist us. The siege of the North Arcane Tower should prove the perfect opportunity for that.”

            Juliana then spoke up to say, “I wonder… Do any of you think that the House Arthus will be upset with Lord Thomas Arthus for wasting their forces on a miserably failed mission and risking war with Terranor. Maybe if we attack only his tower and make it clear to the House Arthus that we are not invading their main holdings on the continent of Dalugon, we will not face their full armies?”

            Zig declared, “Even if we have to face the full force of the House Arthus’s armies, I believe that we will prevail. I will not let this Aximos force his will on reality, both for the sake of my own mission and for the sake of all free peoples!”

            Kyla smiled at Zig and then quietly told her family, “The kid is quite enthusiastic by nature. I like that about him, though.”

            Elena then finished, “We should all get some food and some rest. With any luck, we will assemble an army of our own, besiege the enemy’s tower successfully, defeat Tom Arthus and Aximos and go down in history as heroes! …We should get some food and some rest. You all should be able to get rooms here since you helped win the battle.” Elena had realized that she was shouting and then quieted down a bit at the end of her statement.”

            Ana quietly noted to her mother, “Looks like Elena is also prone to bursts of enthusiasm.”

            Kyla smiled warmly at her daughter, as everyone headed off to get some food and then some rest.

            That evening, Kyla was sitting on the bed of her hotel room on one of the upper floors of the Vega Hotel. Chad was standing up nearby and looking to hotel room over.

            Chad looked over at his wife and smiled. He then sat down next to her and said, “Rico is pretty fascinated with all that we’ve seen here. To think that we would ever visit a functioning human civilization…”

            Kyla looked up at Chad and interjected, “If only the circumstances that led us here had been better. Still, what matters is that we are together again.”

            Chad looked a bit awkward. He then responded, “I wish I could have been there during the duel. Maybe we could have stopped you from being captured together. It sounds like we really owe those human girls, Elena and Juliana, your life.”

            Kyla nodded affirmatively and told her husband, “We can finish this and stop Arthus and his dark master. We will just do what we always do. We have been in some pretty scary situations before. Remember our team’s fight with Groudon?”

            Chad put an arm around Kyla and responded, “Yes and it was you who dealt the final blow… just like with Mewtwo. It seems like we will have to trust Arya for now, won’t we?”

            Kyla admitted, “She is not really evil, Chad. I still maintain that Mewtwo manipulated her and that she just cannot admit her past misguidedness. I saw her save a whole truck full of human innocents once. She wants to do the right thing, as strange as that might sound.”

            Chad embraced Kyla and told her, “If there is anyone who’s judgement I trust, it’s yours.”

            Kyla smiled and then said, “We should get some rest. It’s been quite a long day and this whole affair is still not over.” Kyla then leaned in and gently kissed her husband’s lips. It had been far too long since she had last been alone with him.


	26. The Counterattack Begins

            The next morning, Kyla woke up with one of Chad’s arms around her. She looked around her and felt immense relief that the events of the last day had not been a dream. She had reunited with her husband, children and best friend at last.

            Kyla gently managed to maneuver herself out of bed without waking Chadwick up. She then quietly and carefully left the hotel room, taking her room key with her. Kyla thought, “One thing I will give these humanoids, their accommodations are quite nice. It really makes me wonder what the human society of our homeworld was like in its heyday.”

            As she walked downstairs, Kyla kept musing on the benefits of living in an advanced society such as Terranor. She contrasted it with the old ruins of the colossi’s peninsula and the technologically developed, but war-torn, Europa. At least on Austean, there was enough diversity of sentient species that the locals were thankfully not unnerved by the presence of Kyla’s kind.

            Kyla made her way downstairs to the lobby of the Vega Hotel. From there, she sensed the Ana, Elena and Arya’s auras gathered nearby. Kyla happened to briefly look out of one of the lobby’s windows. She felt slightly annoyed to see that the sun had already risen. She and Chad had both clearly slept in quite a bit.

            Kyla walked over to the hotel’s first-floor restaurant and found that Elena, Ana and Arya were all sitting around a table. Arya had jumped onto a chair and was sitting there on her haunches.

            Ana smiled over at Kyla, saying, “Well there you are, mom.”

            Elena looked over at Kyla and added, “Come on over and sit with us. You should get some breakfast as well.”

            Kyla did as Elena had suggested and took a seat across from Ana. After ordering some food, which fortunately did not cost extra money for hotel guests, Kyla asked Elena, “Where’s Juliana?”

            Elena replied, “Either sleeping in or praying knowing her. I crept out of the room about an hour ago while she was still sleeping.”

            Kyla remembered that Elena and Juliana had not shared a room two nights ago and that each of their rooms had only one bed. She then asked, “Where is everyone else?”

            Arya rattled off, “Zig is ‘sparring’ with Stanford in the nearby training grounds. Rico wanted to explore the city. Ana sent Cordelia to accompany him and keep him out of trouble and Emily decided to show the two of them around. It sounds like Chadwick is also sleeping in, Ruby went to meet with Captain Woodstock and your friend Stephan went to check out the beach.”

            Kyla blushed slightly realizing that she had missed more than just the sunrise that morning. She then asked Elena, “Did you have any idea that I was pretty sure you and Juliana had feelings for each other? Truth be told, I had been aware of your mutual affection ever since you two rescued me.”

            Elena shrugged and replied, “Maybe? I honestly don’t entirely understand how Aura Sense works. From what I know it can determine the presence, positioning and emotional state of living creatures within a particular radius. Thinking back on it, I guess you really could sense feelings of mutual affection between Juliana and I. Especially since you spent so much time around the two of us.”

            Kyla nodded and said, “I obviously noticed you two bickering somewhat often. However, I could tell that you two genuinely cared for each other regardless of your disagreements.”

            Ana chimed in, “Elena and Juliana told me about their pasts yesterday. This Eulidia place sounds horrible. I just can’t wrap my ahead around the idea of a religion that murders its own people just because they are gay. I have faced prejudice before, like uncle Stephan faced from his own mother, but the Church of Eulidia takes it to a terrifying new level.”

            Kyla saw Elena’s eyes light up with burning flames for a moment. The Flamehawk of Austean told her companions, “Yesterday after the battle when I was alone with Juliana, I promised her something. I told her that after we fulfil our promise to Zig and find his people a new home, we will return to Eulidia and tear its hateful church down to the ground. We won’t let them continue to perpetuate their murderous injustice. I will stop them with the Flamehawk’s power! I will see that religion wiped from the face of Austean and then I will see my own family again.”

            Arya then pointed out, “That is all well and good, but we need to focus on destroying Aximos first. That is why you were given the Flamehawk’s power in the first place.”

            Kyla, Ana and Elena all nodded as Kyla’s food arrived. Kyla ate somewhat quickly, as the others had already finished their breakfasts by the time that her food had arrived. The foursome then continued their conversation, discussing a variety of topics. Ana was still expressing some confusion over the concept of non-sentient animals when Ruby arrived at their table.

            This was the first time that Kyla had seen Ruby Benson dressed in casual clothes. The young woman was wearing a blue shirt with a camouflage pattern and a black skirt as well as dark brown leather boots that nearly matched her skin color.

            As everyone looked over at Ruby, Kyla sensed that the young sergeant was in a good mood. Ruby began, “We should see if you can gather everyone who was at yesterday’s meeting at this hotel. I have some important news from Captain Woodstock. It bodes well for the plan to remove Tom Arthus from the equation.”

            Kyla smiled and replied, “I will go make sure that Chad wakes up. If this news means we are closer to taking Arthus down, I will be more than happy to listen.”

            Within the next few hours, all eight Pokémon, the other three dimensional travelers, Emily and Ruby had all gathered in a conference room on the first floor of the Vega Hotel.

            As everyone sat down around a large wooden conference table, with Arya clambering onto one and sitting on her haunches and Stephan on the floor with Stanford, Ruby stood at the head of the table and explained, “To start us off, the first piece of good news that I have for you all is that last night the local government and military offices received radio transmissions and magical communications from representatives of the House Arthus’s Council. Apparently, _Operation Trident_ was such a disaster that the House’s Council gathered for an emergency meeting within hours of their fleet being sunk. There, they voted to publically disavow Tom Arthus. The also stripped him of his title of Lord and the authority it gave him within the House Arthus. Upon returning to the North Arcane Tower, Tom Arthus was informed of his having been disavowed and proceeded to make a deal with his former benefactors and family. He would allow the soldiers and staff loyal to the House Arthus to leave the tower in peace. He would also not dispute his disavowal for the time being. However, he would take over control of the North Arcane Tower for the Logos Order. The House Arthus is not to attack the tower compound directly. It sounds like the House Arthus personnel who left the tower reported figures in light blue and white clothing arriving to take over the tower’s defenses.”

            As Ruby took a break to catch her breath, Chad smiled and said, “This all sounds good. Our enemies are now divided and no longer working together. We need to attack that tower before too many of these ‘Logos Order’ people arrive to help defend it.”

            Emily explained, “From what we have been told, the House Arthus actually disavowed Tom Arthus and stripped him of his title in order to preemptively avoid a possible war with Terranor. With them having withdrawn their support from the Logos Order’s leadership, we no longer have to worry about them if we want to stop Aximos.”

            Elena nodded and added, “An astute observation, Emily. The House Arthus did what they felt they needed to do in order to avoid being subject to reprisals from either Terranor, or Tom Arthus and the Logos Order.  Now, the question of how we get to the tower and assault it with the Logos Order now defending the compound remains.”

            Ruby then continued, “Here is the second bit of good news. The admiral in charge of the Terranoran fleet that came to reinforce us yesterday is willing to sail south with a force of willing soldiers to seize the North Arcane Tower. He and Captain Woodstock are already beginning to recruit an expeditionary force to sail south and land on the northern coast of Dalugon. From there, it should only be a day or less by land to the enemy’s tower. The _Titan’s Hammer_ and her destroyers will escort the captured House Arthus transports and whatever other ships we can load up with soldiers, trucks and supplies for the journey south. We are planning to depart from Peralho Harbor in a week. I am admittedly not sure how this will stop Aximos. However, if this works, we will at least capture the Logos Order’s base of operations on Austean.”

            Juliana smiled at Ruby and told her, “I knew that you would come through for us. Knowing Lana and Stanley, they will insist on coming with the expeditionary force to finish this fight. I guess that we should remain on standby here until we are ready to set sail for northern Dalugon.”

            Elena announced, “I will use the next week to make a few dimensional trips to make sure that our other allies are ready for the fight to come. If I can prepare them properly, I should be able to summon all of our potential reinforcements as we approach the Arcane Tower’s compound. Tom Arthus will most likely feel forced to recall most of his Logos Order cells to the Arcane Tower in preparation for its defense. He likely knows that if he relocates his forces to another part of Austean, or even another world, I will find a way to follow him.”

            Kyla nodded and pointed out, “He knows that we will attack his tower and is probably staking the survival of the Logos Order on that battle. He will probably throw every ally he can call upon at us there.”

            Zig looked over at Juliana and told her, “That means we will almost certainly face that Valkyria at the Arcane Tower.”

            Juliana nodded, her eyes burning with purple fire. She then declared, “I will do as my god demands and kill her. Zig, I will want your help in that endeavor. I know that the Valkyrur have inflicted horrible suffering on your people.”

            Zig nodded resolutely as Arya mentioned, “We might also come up against that Logos Order priestess who intervened when we attacked the airship lab. She could also prove to be a dangerous foe on the battlefield.”

            Elena mentioned, “Tom Arthus’s bodyguard, Marcus Smith is also likely to remain loyal to his master, even though the House Arthus has abandoned him and the Logos Order. He was clearly enhanced by magic, so he should prove far more dangerous than almost any normal soldier could.”

            Kyla then finished, “What matters the most to me is defeating the former Lord himself. With him out of the way, Aximos will have lost his chosen one and primary mortal representative.”

            Arya said to Kyla, “And we will have avenged ourselves by slaying him. Even then, he never did explain why I was abducted specifically. Not knowing why I was also abducted still bothers me.”

            Ruby adjourned the meeting by saying, “We have roughly a week to prepare ourselves. When the expeditionary fleet is about to leave for the north coast of Dalugon, we will regroup and board the transport ships.”

            Everybody agreed and then went their separate ways for the day to explore more of Peralho and begin preparing for the expedition to the south.

            Elena was not around as much as she could be during the next week. She was clearly doing her best to prepare the expeditionary force’s allies for the battle that was soon to commence. Kyla and her family stayed in Peralho and helped with preparations as best as they could. They trusted Elena to make sure their Pokémon and colossi allies were ready for what had to be done. When Elena was around, she explained to the others that her brief “fling” with Emily had been a failed attempt at being with someone other than Juliana. Elena had still been far too proud to admit her feelings for Juliana at that point. She had still wondered if the two of them were meant to be back then, due to their ideological differences.

            A week from the announcement of the expedition, the _Titan’s Hammer_ , five Terranoran destroyers and six transport ships set sail from Peralho’s harbor. On board one of the transports was everyone who had been in the conference a week ago. The expeditionary fleet arrived on the northern coast of Dalugon with days and found a stretch of empty beach on which to unload their forces safely under the watch of the warships. A convoy of military trucks, some armored for battle and equipped with machine gun turrets and some fit only to carry soldiers and supplies, then began to drive south across the plains and badlands of northern Dalugon.

            That evening, the expeditionary force made camp with the Arcane Tower visible in the distance. From what Elena had told everyone, their reinforcements would be ready when the battle was joined. Elena would make sure of that. She seemed confident that the true combined power of the DWD and the Flamehawk Spirit would be made apparent the next day.  

            Kyla fell asleep that night at camp with resolute determination in her mind. Her passionate desire to see justice done burned even hotter than it normally did.  She was convinced that Tom Arthus would die tomorrow.


	27. Preparation and Parlay

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The Command Room of the Logos Order Tower (Formerly the House Arthus North Arcane Tower) The Next Morning:

            Standing in the command room of the Logos Order Tower were Sorcerer General Tom Arthus, his consort Helga Werner, High Priestess Cornelia Heliopolis, and Tom’s bodyguard Marcus Smith. Marcus’s heavy armor had now been painted Logos Order light blue. He no longer wore the dark green of the House Arthus.

            Cornelia began the meeting by informing everyone present, “Yesterday, our scouts spotted a significant force, primarily composed of Terranoran soldiers, making its way south across the badlands. They will likely depart from their current camp soon and be here within hours. It seems as though our prediction that the Terranoran military would send an expedition to finish us off was correct.”

            Tom sighed for a moment. His face then took on a resolute expression as he announced, “Let them besiege this compound then. We have recalled nearly all of our allies in the Logos Order here to defend this tower. We must repel the enemy’s offensive here. I knew that we would have to fight the forces arrayed against us in a grand battle at some point. We might as well fight them where we have a strong defensive advantage.”

            Helga pointed out, “I have to say that our current situation is the fault of those five original fugitives. We underestimated them and they escaped and outmaneuvered our forces time after time. _Operation Trident_ was intended, in part, to be a way of getting them back to Austean where we could defeat them. However, that plan backfired and lost us the support of the House Arthus.”

            Tom placed one of his hands against his forehead and responded, somewhat sarcastically at first, “Thank you for that reminder of our multitude of recent failures, Helga. Yes, it is true that our master has become seriously disappointed with us of late. We have failed to kill the Flamehawk of Austean before she could discover her true power. We have also been unable to recapture the Ninetales Arya or remove the meddlesome Kyla from the equation. With my former house no longer supporting any of our efforts, we have also lost considerable resources that were previously being used to the benefit of our master’s cause. I have been trying to convince our master to allow us to meet with him in his home. However, he seems content to see how well we fare against our foes in the upcoming battle for now while he continues to regain his power.”

            Cornelia pointed out, “We have rallied all of our supporters we could gather to this compound. As we speak, the remaining loyal devotees of our master stand ready to defend this tower. There is only one major ally that we have not yet been able to bring here to aid us.”

            Tom looked over at Helga and told her, “My lovely Helga, Cornelia is right. I hate the possibility of you not being here when the enemy attempts to storm the tower compound. However, you must go with one of our loyal arcanists to the Empire and meet with our cell there. I know that they will not want to come to our aid due to their ongoing war with the Atlantic Federation. However, you have to convince them that this is the Logos Order’s greatest hour of need. Our cell within the Empire must send its forces to this tower!”

            Helga gave Tom an Imperial salute with his fist held in front of her chest. She then told him, “I will not fail you, Sorcerer General. I will depart immediately and return with imperial reinforcements!”

            Tom returned Helga’s salute in the imperial style and she immediately left the command room to find a Logos Order arcanist who could use a DWD.

            Cornelia then asked Tom, “Sorcerer General, what are my orders?”

            Tom responded, “Cornelia, your expertise in healing magic and status as High Priestess will serve our defenders in the trench well. You will lead our first line of defense. Your goal will be to stall the enemy long enough for our artillery to wipe them out, or force them to retreat. We need to keep the fighters we can alive, so try to focus on healing our devotees and do not expose yourself unnecessarily. If you encounter the Flamehawk, or Kyla, do your best to eliminate them. They are both to be considered critical enemy targets.”

            Cornelia saluted Tom and then left to go take command of the Logos Order forces defending the tower compound outside.

            Marcus them looked down at his master and asked him, “My Lord, what shall I do?”

            Tom told Marcus, “Not bringing you with me for _Operation Trident_ was a mistake. You will stay with me and a small force as our last line of defense. I will try to contact our master and see if he can be persuaded to let us fall back to his realm if the enemy does breach our defenses. This day will decide the fate of all we have built. I can only hope that our master realizes that and grants us an audience if need be.”

            Marcus simply nodded and then followed Tom upstairs to retrieve one of the remaining DWDs from the arcane laboratory where they were kept. There was also one last thing that Tom Arthus needed to prepare before his enemies assaulted his tower.

\---

The Terranoran Expeditionary Force’s Camp That Same Morning:

            Kyla was standing just to the south of the expeditionary force’s camp. She was looking intently at the Logos Order Tower in the distance. She could not sense the auras within it just yet. However, just knew that her current nemesis, Thomas Arthus had to be commanding the forces defending the tower.

            Kyla noticed the auras of Elena, Juliana, Zig and Arya walking up to her from behind. She soon heard Elena saying, “Good, we are all here.”

            Elena had called a meeting of the five travelers earlier. She had said that she wanted to talk with just them one more time before the expeditionary force advanced south to attack the Logos Order Tower. At the moment, Elena was holding hands with Juliana.

            When Kyla turned around, Elena began, “Well, it has been a hell of an adventure. But, now we are almost back to the place where Juliana and I rescued Kyla and Arya. Today, we will defeat the Logos Order with any luck. That will leave Aximos without any organized mortal cultists to advance his agenda.”

            Arya interjected, “We still have not answered two questions regarding Aximos and the Logos Order. For one, why was I also targeted when Kyla was kidnapped? Secondly, Elena mentioned that the Flamehawk Spirit told her that Aximos has been regaining his power at a much faster rate recently. I would like to know why that is. Now that I think about it, we also need to find a way to reach Aximos in order to actually fight and kill him.”

            Zig offered, “With any luck, we will have the answers to all of those questions in due time. For now, we just need to focus on capturing the enemy tower. I intend to fulfill my end of our bargain and that means fighting alongside you all until the Logos Order is destroyed!”

            Juliana added, “Lana and Stanley will be going with Tanya’s squad, much to her annoyance. They want to provide healing support, which I am sure we will need in this battle. We will be charging across a stretch of badlands with little cover and trying to make it to an enemy trench and then to the compound proper. As for me, I intend to find the Logos Order’s Valkyria and end her.”

            Elena said, “I have been able to prepare our reinforcements for this battle. Once our main force is making its way towards the enemy frontline, I will have to use all of my power and the DWD’s. If my plan works, it will catch the enemy off guard and overwhelm their defenses.”

            Elene seemed pleased with her extensive preparatory work as Kyla held up a hand and said, “Guys, I sense a small cluster of auras heading this way fast. …There are five in total. One of them is an arcanist. …I think that it’s the sorceress we captured aboard the airship in the colossi’s world.”

            Juliana said, “I think she might have been acting under Tom Arthus’s orders at the time. However, if she is still involved with the Logos Order, why would she come here with only four guards?”

            Arya offered, “If need be, I can probably fry her whole group with a single Inferno. Assuming that we catch them off guard, that is.”

            Elena asked, “I will alert the others of this development. Can the four of you head north and try to intercept them? In case this is some kind of attack, I would rather not it reach our main force.”

            Kyla readied her SMG and replied, “Can do. Come on you three, I will lead us right to them. They are probably in a vehicle considering how fast they are moving. Still, I’m confident that we can confront them on foot if need be.”

            Arya, Juliana and Zig followed Kyla south for a short distance until they saw a House Arthus staff car driving in their direction. Soon after the car got close to the foursome, it stopped abruptly. The arcanist captain from before, Lilia Heliopolis was indeed in the staff car. While the driver and one other passenger stayed in the car, the young redhead and two House Arthus soldiers stepped out of the car and approached the foursome.

            Lilia and her two guards stopped their approach not far from Kyla, Arya, Juliana and Zig. A look of shock took over her face briefly. She then regained her composure and asked, “Really? I run into you people again?”

            Kyla asked, “What exactly are you doing here? If you think that you can stop us from attacking the tower, you must be crazy.”

            The young redhead looked insulted and countered, “Quite the opposite, actually. Also, seeing as though we were not properly introduced last time we met, my name is Captain Lilia Heliopolis.”

            Juliana asked Lilia, “What exactly do you mean when you say ‘quite the opposite?’”

            Lilia replied, “My superiors in the House Arthus sent me here to meet with the Terranoran Expeditionary force. I am to deliver a letter to its commander. You see, the House Arthus still would like to regain custody of the North Arcane Tower without having to fight my former teacher. Therefore, if your force manages to seize the compound, the House Arthus is willing to pay a sizeable sum to be have the tower handed back over to us.”

            Juliana nodded and said, “I see. The House Arthus is unwilling to acknowledge that they helped to create the problem Tom Arthus has become. However, they still want to reap the rewards of our hopeful victory over him and his cult.”

            Lilia looked slightly angered. She then calmed down quickly and shrugged her shoulders. She replied, “I’m just following orders, to be honest. I still hold quite a bit of animosity towards you all for destroying my operation earlier. However, I have a job to do and I will see it done.”

            Kyla sighed briefly and then declared, “Very well, we will go with you to the camp where you can hand over your letter and then get out of our way. You were smart to not throw in your lot with your former lord, I will give you that.”

            Lilia was about to return to her staff car with her escorts when she said, “Trust me, I know. However, I fear that my half-sister Cornelia does not have my survival instincts. Today…she might pay the ultimate price for her loyalty to my former teacher and their damned ‘master.’”

            Lilia silently returned to her staff car with her escorts and then the car followed the foursome back to the expeditionary force’s camp. There, Lilia handed over the letter to Tanya. She then departed, promising not to interfere in the day’s battle on behalf of either side. Kyla had sensed some regrets in Lilia’s aura about not helping her half-sister and former teacher. However, the sorceress had also clearly not wanted to potentially throw away her life against the wishes of her superiors for a cause she had no stake in.

            Soon after Lilia had departed in her staff car, a number of armored, six-wheeled, Terranoran military trucks began their drive south. They had positioned themselves in an arrow-shaped attack formation. Multiple squads of humanoid soldiers followed right behind them on foot. The time had finally come to confront the Logos Order at their headquarters and face them in battle. As she rode in one of the armored trucks to the right of the formation’s center, Kyla checked her weapon one last time. She remained dead set on ensuring that Tom Arthus would perish that day. 


	28. The Battle of the Logos Order Tower

            The formation of armored trucks was rapidly nearing the defensive trench dug around the Logos Order Tower. Inside of the trench line was an inner wall behind which lied the inner compound. The Arcane Tower itself reached up into the sky above the wall defending it. Light Blue and White banners hung from the tower and the fortress wall around it. The banners were symbols of the tower’s new owners.

            Kyla was standing behind the machine gun turret of the truck she was riding in. The turret was just behind and above the main cab. She looked at the place where she had been imprisoned previously and glared. It was time to bring the Logos Order to its knees.

            In the back of Kyla’s truck were Chadwick, Ana, Rico, Cordelia and Elena. Immediately to the right of them was a truck carrying Juliana, Arya, Stephan and Stanford with Zig on the truck’s turret. Terranoran drivers were in the cabs of each truck advancing the vehicles forward in their attack formation. Emily and Ruby were in the formation’s central truck, along with Tanya, Emmet, Lana and Stanley. Zig had mentioned earlier that the armored trucks seemed like potential precursors to his homeworld’s armored personnel carriers. They did seem to serve the same purpose, transporting soldiers into battle while providing them with covering fire. In order to allow for faster infantry deployment, the six-wheeled trucks’ tops were currently open behind their cabins.

            As the trucks continued to close in on the trench with multiple squads of friendly infantry on foot not far behind them, the enemy defenders opened fire. A series of machine gun turrets and infantry soldiers opened fire from the trench. Four heavier cannons positioned along the trench opened fire as well, targeting the advancing trucks. The booming sound of four artillery shells being fired off echoed from behind the wall surrounding the tower. The shells came crashing down on the expeditionary force soon after. One of them hit and destroyed an armored truck on the formation’s left flank.    

Kyla, Zig and the other turret gunners did their best to return fire on their entrenched enemies. As bullets, shells, and spells flew from both sides, Elena cast a minor spell to enhance her voice. She then ordered, “I am going to bring in our backup. It’s time to see what the DWD can really do! You all need to get past the trench and the wall as soon as you can. We need to take out the enemy’s heavy artillery!”

Juliana blew Elena a kiss for good luck. Elena then sprouted wings of fire and flew up into the sky. Juliana then pointed to a raised position on the trench equipped with a radio and defended by a machine gun turret. She shouted, “That might be a spotting position for the artillery? If we destroy it, they will have more trouble aiming their heavy guns at us.”

Kyla focused on suppressing the enemy troops in the section of trench they were advancing towards nearby the spotting position. A shell from an enemy cannon nearby the trench flew just above Kyla’s head. Kyla then noticed that the enemy defenders were now beginning to point their weapons into the sky.

Kyla looked back over at Elena and saw that the she was floating over the battlefield and her DWD was glowing with intense spirals of flaming energy. Elena began to point to various positions on the left and right flanks of the advancing expeditionary force. The DWD fired off beams of light at those areas which exploded into massive rifts in reality when they struck the ground. The enemy fired hundreds of rounds at Elena. However, at the range she was at, most of the shots missed. Shields of fire and force formed around Elena and blocked the remaining projectiles. On the left flank of the advancing trucks and soldiers, what looked to be around fifty Pokémon of various species emerged from a dimensional rift. They were led by a brown-furred quadruped with long tusks and a porcine snout, a Mamoswine.

Kyla shouted, “Old General Theodore is here! I should have known we could have counted on him to rise to any occasion.”

Chad smiled as the old former sheriff led his force in a charge across the plains. The thicker-skinned Pokémon leading the way, as their comrades covered them with ranged attacks as best as they could. A small force of Logos Order Pokémon emerged from the trench to engage Theodore’s unit. However, the Logos Order’s Pokémon were clearly outnumbered and the trucks were closing in on the trench.  

As the enemy defenders refocused on their foes on the ground, four other rifts opened, two to Kyla’s right and two to her left. On the left, Pelagia slowly ambled out and his tusks began to charge with energy. A cannon shell impacted his mask, but he seemed undeterred by the dent it left. Nearby Pelagia, a massive tortoise advanced with spikes under his chin beginning to spark with energy. A shell from a different cannon blasted the tortoises’ shoulder. However, he was barely slowed down and marched forward with renewed vigor. Pelagia and his companion returned fire on the cannons that had blasted them. The barrage of energy projectiles from the two colossi rapidly annihilated the two heavy guns and their crews.

On Kyla’s right, she saw Kuromori began to scurry out of a rift. The gecko colossus excitedly charged forward as an enemy shell narrowly missed him. He then blasted the cannon that had fired on him into oblivion with a series of energy shots. When the bolts Kuromori had fired off impacted the trench, they left an electrified mist that slew multiple enemy soldiers who had not been killed by the initial blast. Finally, a Lion-like golem, much smaller than the other colossus leapt into battle and made for the trench’s far left flank. Dodging a cannon shell, he kept charging forward at breakneck speed as Kuromori covered him.

            Elena closed her rifts and then landed behind the advancing line of military trucks. From what Kyla could tell, Elena was exhausted from channeling so much arcane power in such a short period of time.

            Kyla then focused on firing her machine gun at the gunners of the final heavy cannon positioned along the trench. That gun fired another shell at Kuromori, hitting his armored back. The reptilian colossus returned fire and the cannon was soon no more. Now, the lion colossus was clear to reach the trench. The Logos Order’s machine gun turrets were beginning to fall to fire from the larger colossi and the incoming truck’s turrets. The enemy gunners were having trouble harming the more vulnerable soldiers behind the line of armored trucks, Pokémon and colossi. However, the enemy’s long-range artillery continued to fire at the advancing formation. It would need to be silenced soon.

            Kyla raked the enemy trench with suppressing fire as her truck and the one next to it finally closed in and swerved to the side. The Truck drivers trying to maximize their vehicles’ profiles to help protect the infantry squads coming in behind them.

            Taking charge with Elena still somewhere behind them, Juliana shouted, “Everyone out of the trucks! Watch out for enemy machine guns!”

            Kyla got off of the turret and readied her SMG. Everyone in Kyla’s truck and the one next to it then disembarked. Juliana led the charge for the nearby enemy trench. They were currently not far from the artillery spotting station. Juliana crippled the nearest enemy machine gun turret with a beam of purple light from her longsword. As the group neared the trench, Kyla saw a number of figures in light blue and white armor aiming rifles at them. Kyla rushed them and sprayed ragnite fire from her weapon in an arc, frying three of the hostiles in rapid succession. Arya used an Inferno to immolate three more enemies and Zig lead everyone else into the trench to engage their enemies up close.

            After hopping to the trench, Kyla shouted, “Hold off on using Mega-Evolution until you need to! We don’t know how long this battle will last.”

            Arya rapidly added, “We need to go for the spotting station and eliminate it!”

            Stephan threw a mud bomb at a small unit of Logos Order soldiers rushing at them and shouted, “Stanford, Cordelia, come with me and we will hold them off. Kyla, take everyone else and take out that command post!”

            Chad looked impressed with how Stephan was taking charge. He then said, “Sounds good to me.” After that, he charged up the trench line along with Zig and Juliana. Arya, Kyla, Ana and Rico were not far behind them.

            Kyla scanned the trench ahead with her aura sense. She could sense the Logos Order priestess from the airship not far ahead along with a few other soldiers. Even further ahead, a group of enemy arcanists and soldiers were trying to desperately hold off the two attacking colossi. Kuromori and his Scout Colossus ally were more than holding their own against the enemies on the far-left flank.

            As they neared the spotting position, Kyla sensed two enemies just ahead of her, when she rounded a corner, she gunned one of them down before she could react. Then other one, a robed and hooded arcanist, shot a ray of fire at Kyla, but she evaded it.

            Chad then charged forward and delivered a Karate Chop to the arcanist’s head, killing him from the sudden impact of the blow.

            As the others caught up to Kyla and Chad, who had run ahead a bit, the whole group of seven was caught up in a blast of blue light and cacophonic sound. As everyone reeled from the attack, Cornelia Heliopolis emerged from the spotting station and rushed at Kyla was her massive mace in hand. A trio of Logos Order troops wearing heavy armor followed in behind her. The High Priestess shouted, “I knew you would come here! Your efforts may win you this battle. But in the end, Master Aximos will prevail!”

            As Cornelia neared Kyla and her mace erupted with blue and white light, Zig jumped in front of Kyla and blocked Cornelia’s mace with his sword. Juliana then healed Arya, which helped her recover from being stunned. Ana and Rico each rushed one of the enemy soldiers nearest to their mother with Metal Claws out and ready. Chad suddenly breathed his own Flamethrower into the final enemy trooper, dropping him with the powerful blast of flames.

            Arya nodded approvingly at Chad, as Kyla rushed in to help Zig by flanking Cornelia. Arya then began to charge up a Fire Blast in her mouth, she seemed to be waiting for something.

            Juliana advanced on Cornelia, as Zig pushed her back with his sword. Juliana then fired a beam of purple light into Cornelia’s leg, forcing the High Priestess to heal herself. Kyla then delivered a rapid series of punches into Cornelia’s armored back.

            Ana and Rico each buried their Metal Claws into the enemies they were facing, taking both of them out of the fight. Arya then rushed into the fray. She stood next to Zig and breathed her Fire Blast into Cornelia. The injured High Priestess’s armor was burned through, leaving a horrific flaming hole in her chest.

            Cornelia fell backwards to the ground. She then looked into Arya’s eyes and tried to tell her, “You do not understand Master Aximos…”

            Cornelia was unable to finish her sentence as she breathed her last breath. She had been too badly burnt to even heal herself. Arya then looked down at Cornelia’s corpse and replied, “I think I know enough about him…”

            Arya then raised up her head and told her allies, “Get out of the way!”

            Everyone in Arya’s way ducked as she rushed forward and sent out an Inferno attack into the spotting station. The station’s radio was destroyed and its remaining occupants were fried to death from the devastating eruption of flames.

            Kyla then looked over at a nearby dirt ramp leading out of the trench and towards the compound wall.

            Ana announced, “According to my Aura Sense, Cordelia, Stephan and Stanford are doing fine for now. I knew that they would not let us down.”

            Rico added, “We should advance and bring down that gate. We have to destroy their heavy artillery. I bet that those big guns are the only weapons the enemy has left that could really injure our stone comrades.”

            Kyla reached out with her own Aura sense as she reloaded her SMG and realized that she had down to her last clip for it. She then sensed Tom Arthus and his bodyguard Marcus Smith inside of the tower close to the ground level. Kyla announced, “We should make for the main gate then. Our allies should be entering the enemy trenches by now anyway.”

            The group of seven advanced out of the trench. They saw, once on the other side, that Captain Woodstock’s troops were starting to clear out the enemy trench with the aid of their new Pokémon and colossi allies. However, they were still taking fire from the enemy heavy artillery on the other side of the wall. The enemy’s other spotting station on the other side of the trench looked to have been destroyed by the two larger colossi while Kyla and her comrades had been fighting Cornelia and her soldiers.

            Kyla and her companions rushed ahead to the main gate of the compound. As they neared it, facing no enemy resistance at that point. Kyla’s face suddenly darkened. She shouted, “The Valkyria’s aura just appeared, along with a significant number of others! They are just inside the wall!”

            The main gate of the compound began to swing open as Kyla and her comrades stood in front of it. Two massive, black-painted, armored vehicles with two machine guns and two anti-armor cannons rolled out from behind the gate. Around twenty Imperial soldiers wearing black armor accompanied the two armored vehicles. In the center of the imperial formation was Helga Werner in full Valkyria mode already. With her body surrounded by blue flames she surveyed the battlefield and declared, “We have made it just in time!”

            Juliana stepped forward and shouted, as the Imperial troops continued to advance out of the gate with their two tanks flanking them, “Valkyria, face me! I know the sins of your kind and I will bring down divine justice on you for your acts of evil!”

            Zig shouted, “Someone needs to take out those Heavy Tanks!”

            Juliana surrounded herself with roaring purple fire. She then tapped her sword to Zig’s and suddenly the Darcsen-patterned blade burst into purple flames. Zig and Juliana then charged forward to confront Helga as enemy bullets bounced off their shields and armor left and right.

Helga called back, “So be it, priestess of the false god and Darcsen scum! I will face you and defeat you for the glory of the Empire and the Logos Order!” She then charged ahead to duel Juliana and Zig up close and personal.   

            Kyla shouted, as the skirmish was joined, “Chad, Arya take down their infantry! Ana, Rico, cover me! I know how to take out these tanks!” Kyla then sprinted at the nearest Heavy Tank. She knew she would have to get to its radiator in order to destroy it.

            Ana and Rico each charged up an Aura Sphere. Rico fired his into the top turret of the Heavy Tank closer to his position, destroying the gun. He then tried to get out of the way of the lower mounted machine gun’s fire.

Ana rushed around to the tank’s side, following her mother. She saw the tank trying to turn so that its radiator would be facing further away from Kyla. Ana made a snap judgement and fired her Aura Sphere into the Heavy Tank’s treads. The attack successfully crippled the vehicle’s movement.

Kyla now had her opening. She rushed around the Heavy Tank as Zig and Juliana began to duel Helga. Kyla ran around the enemy armored vehicle and fired an Aura Sphere into its radiator from a short distance away. The Heavy Tank exploded before it could gun Rico down.

Kyla looked over at Arya and Chad taking on the Imperial troops who were attempting to aid Helga against Zig and Juliana. She then saw that six imperial soldiers carrying lance-shaped weapons and four scouts escorting them were making their way around the skirmish. The second Heavy Tank was following them. Kyla saw the Lancers beginning to take up positions and open fire on the colossi and trucks in the distance with their weapons. Their scout escorts began to take potshots at the forces attacking the trench with their rifles.

Kyla suddenly made a rapid dodge to the side as she saw three Imperial shocktroopers taking aim and then opening fire at her. She narrowly evaded the storm of bullets.

As her enemies reloaded, Kyla returned fire and dropped one enemy. However, her SMG was now out of ammo. Ana and Rico used Aura Spheres to cover their mother and kill the other two shocktroopers before they could open fire again.

Kyla then turned her attention to the enemy anti-armor squad. Chad and Arya were injured, but holding their own well and wiping out the Imperial infantry that was trying to intervene in the duel between Helga, Juliana and Zig.

Kyla charged up another Aura Sphere. She was about to fire it into the remaining Heavy Tank’s radiator, as it opened fire on the parked trucks across the trench line. However, A massive blast of steam consumed most of the Imperial anti-armor infantry and obscured Kyla’s view. Kyla ended up using her Aura Sphere to take down a scout who had narrowly escaped the steam attack.

            Kyla saw that the source of the steam attack had been Elena. The young arcanist was flying in to battle on her wings of fire. Elena began to draw fire from the Heavy Tank’s machine guns as she did so. Suddenly, two barrages of energy projectiles bombarded the Heavy Tank. The armored vehicle was now taking fire from the two larger colossi.

Chad turned his attention to the remaining Lancer. Chad then charged at and dispatched the anti-armor soldier with a Seismic Toss into the Heavy Tank’s side. Arya smiled at Chad and rushed around the Heavy Tank.

            The last few Imperial troops took aim at Arya. However, two of them were charged and cut down by Ana and Rico. Elena took the final Imperial soldier out with a thrown dagger of ice.

            Arya made it around the Heavy Tank and then channeled a Fire Blast into its Radiator. She easily dodged the shrapnel from the explosion that ensued. Kyla could not help but think, “Arya is truly a dangerous opponent. I understand why she was confident enough to challenge me to a duel. I hate to admit it, but she may actually win when we have our rematch.”

            Kyla then turned her attention to the duel being fought involving Juliana, Zig and Helga. Kyla told Elena, Chad, Rico, Ana and Arya, “Get through the gate and destroy their heavy artillery! I will help end the Valkyria!”

            Kyla then Mega-Evolved, deciding that it was finally time to do so. She rushed at the three-person engagement while the others advanced to the main gate.

            Juliana and Zig were facing a more prepared Helga now. The Valkyria was holding them off in melee with her shield and lance. However, Kyla had a plan to disrupt her for just long enough.

            Kyla shouted to her friends, “Get away from her! Trust me!”

            Juliana slammed Helga’s shield with her own and then stepped away from her enemy. Zig raised his sword and shield in a defensive position and stepped back as well.

            Kyla saw Helga taking aim at her with her lance. She dodged two blasts of ragnite and then closed with the Valkyria and detonated a Dragon Pulse over her monstrous enemy.

            Zig saw that Helga had been weakened by the energy overload. He slashed into the back of his opponent’s legs with his empowered blade.

            Helga fell to her knees. However, she was still healing fast thanks to her azure flames.

            Kyla then buried her Metal Claws into Helga’s each of Helga’s shoulders. She endured the burning pain in her hand and arms caused by her enemy’s ragnite flames thanks to her Mega-Evolution. Kyla was trying to prevent her foe from raising her weapons for just long enough for a killing blow to be struck.

            Juliana then charged in, as Helga tried to stand back up. Kyla back flipped away after withdrawing her claws. Juliana screamed, “God’s justice be done, abomination!” She was then nearly consumed by the raging purple fire. Julian buried her longsword in Helga’s chest and kept it there.

            Helga snarled at Juliana, who then twisted her blade in Valkyria’s heart. As Helga’s azure flames went out and she collapsed to the ground, she looked past the gate and saw Elena and the others wiping out the Logos Order’s artillery battery. Helga reached out for the tower and whispered, “Even I was not strong enough? Lord Arthus… Tom I am so sorry. Please ask our master to forgive me…” Helga died with Juliana’s burning blade still plunged into her heart.           

            Zig breathed heavily for a moment. He then sincerely told Juliana, “Thank you. And you as well, Kyla. Now, why don’t we get in there and finish the Logos Order off?”

            The purple fire surrounding Juliana faded and the young priestess replied, “I guess that it was my pleasure? I honestly was a bit scared of how intense I got back there. Now, we better catch up the others. I probably need to distribute some healing.”

            As Kyla’s Mega-Evolution wore off, she went over to loot the slain Imperial shocktroopers. She intended to loot as many clips of ammo as she could grab in a hurry. She wished that she could tell Ana and Rico to help her loot the bodies. However, they were regrouping with Elena, Chad and Arya in the courtyard of the tower compound.

            Kyla picked up as many clips of ammo as she could and then rushed after her allies. She briefly looked back and scanned the battlefield. It looked like, thanks to the reinforcements Elena had called in, the battle was nearly won. The quick elimination of the imperial troops had also helped keep up the expeditionary force’s momentum. The remaining Logos Order forces were all fighting to the death, but they were only a few of them left. Furthermore, they were both badly outnumbered and outmatched by that point.

            After looting more ammunition for her weapon, Kyla rushed into the courtyard to meet with her allies. There, the eight of them stood amongst the destroyed artillery pieces and slain soldiers of the Logos Order.


	29. The Sorcerer General

            Kyla was standing along with Chad, Ana, Rico, Arya, Zig, Elena and Juliana in the courtyard of the Logos Order Tower compound. As Juliana finished distributing healing to her companions, she said, “Without artillery support, our remaining enemies in the trench line are not going last much longer. What should we do now?”

            Ana quickly replied, “I am picking up twelve auras on the first floor of the building, including Tom Arthus and two other arcanists. They are all clustered in the same area, likely the same room. The upper floors seem to have been evacuated.”

            Kyla and Rico nodded, confirming what Ana had said. Elena suggested, “There has to be a reason that Tom Arthus was not fighting with his main force, or with their Imperial reinforcements. We should storm the tower’s first floor and confront the ‘Sorcerer General’ in his lair before he can escape us again.”   

            Kyla readied her SMG and declared, “I am more than ready.”

            Arya added, “Killing the former Lord Arthus will weaken the influence Aximos wields considerably. We need to end him today. This time, we will not retreat!”

            Elena looked over at the double doors of the arcane tower’s first floor. She then pummeled them with pulses of pure force fired off in rapid succession. The doors soon buckled and then flew open.

            The group of eight then advanced on the inner compound. They were not met with any visible resistance as there were no enemies there to meet them. However, a familiar voice echoed from the inner compound, “You have really proven to be a continuous thorn in my side.”

            Kyla recognized the voice of Tom Arthus and called back, “Face us you coward! We have broken your frontline and wiped out your reinforcements! Now, you might as well go down fighting like your comrades did!”

            As the group continued their advance, Elena told everyone, “He is using a spell to magnify his voice. He knows that we are here, but he might not even be able to hear our responses.”

            Kyla snarled as she heard Tom’s voice saying, “You survived wave after wave of my soldiers and allies. You learned the truth about my master that you were never supposed to learn and now you have arrived at my front door expecting to kill me. You are worthy foes after all …I guess you deserve one more answer.”

            Arya asked, “I wonder if he is going to tell us why I was kidnapped, or maybe how Aximos has been gaining strength more quickly than before?”

            Arya was disappointed when Tom’s voice continued, “I serve my Master, Aximos, because I desire his favor. I desire his favor because that is as close as I can get to being him. I would love nothing more than to be just like Master Aximos because I admire what he is, a god of order! The power and will to enforce order and control a chaotic and unpredictable multiverse is what Aximos had and will have again. He knows that an entity at his level has a responsibility to uphold. A responsibility to govern and rule, that is. The name ‘Logos Order’ is supposed to mean ‘Logical Order.’ The most logical course for reality is to be governed by those who seek to suppress chaos. I know that many of you cannot understand that. Especially the Flamehawk, a living symbol of anarchy and chaos! I believe that my Master will win in the end because he must win in order for chaos to be crushed as it should be. That is all I have to say on the matter.”

            Arya simply muttered, “Something like Aximos cannot rule others fairly and justly. Arthus is truly a deluded man.”

            By the point that Tom had finished giving his speech, Kyla and her allies had nearly reached the room where the enemy auras had congregated. Arya leapt in front of the others. She used one of her Inferno attacks to send the armored door in front of the group flying off of its hinges and into the tower’s command room.

            As the smoke cleared, the eight of them stormed into the room to find Tom Arthus standing behind Marcus Smith who had his enormous greatsword, _Scythecrusher: Defender of Kings_ , drawn. Flanking Tom and Marcus were two squads of black armored soldiers, four commandos in each squad. The four commandos with longswords and heavy shields drawn protecting the four commandos with rifles at the ready. Two Logos Order arcanists stood along with the commandos.

            Elena shouted, “Arthus has a DWD!”

            Tom suddenly spoke an arcane phrase aloud and an explosion was heard from above everyone. He then smirked, “That was the arcane lab with the remaining DWDs in it being destroyed. I would rather not anyone else gain access to our technology.” Tom’s DWD then glowed with light blue energy and he announced, “I must be off to meet with Master Aximos. Marcus, I am sorry but your final orders are to delay the enemy here. Kill the Flamehawk if possible.”

            Marcus gritted his teeth and simply responded, “Yes, my Lord. I understand and will obey your orders.”

Kyla charged up an Aura Sphere and fired it at Tom as Marcus rushed forward with his comrades right behind him. However, Tom stepped through a portal leading into a light blue realm with no discernable ground or walls. The portal was closed just as Kyla’s Aura Sphere was about to fly through it.

            Chad told Zig, “We’ll take the big guy together, kid!” The two of them then rushed in to meet Marcus, the two swordsmen crossed blades. Chad’s blows seemed to have little effect on the super-soldier’s armor. Ana, Rico and Juliana rushed the enemies on the left as Arya bounded forward, taking multiple bullets in the process. She withstood a freezing sphere from an enemy arcanist and used Extrasensory to blast the entire enemy formation on the right. Only that squad’s arcanist survived the mental assault. Elena finished off the arcanist who had blasted Arya with a barrage of flaming force rockets.

            Kyla was enraged that her nemesis had escaped again. She took out her anger on the surviving enemy arcanist by unloading an entire clip from her SMG into her. Ana and Rico rushed into the enemy shield wall and knocked their foes back. Juliana then summoned a column of purple fire over the enemy troops. The flaming column incinerated the four enemy commandos without harming Ana or Rico.

            Now, only Marcus Smith was left to hold the command room. He forced Zig and Chad back with each swing of his mighty blade. The magically-enhanced greatsword being a true force to be reckoned with. The injured Chad soon decided he had had enough of Marcus. He grabbed onto the _Scythecrusher’s_ blade and then threw the weapon, with Marcus still holding onto it, into the nearest wall.  

            Zig saw his opening and charged at Marcus. As Marcus pulled himself out of the massive dent he had made when he impacted the wall, Zig aimed his blade straight ahead. Elena aimed a hand at Marcus’s heavily armored chest and his armor began to burst open with a surge of magical energy.

            Marcus staggered back slightly and then tried to rush Elena at full speed. However, Zig reached him first and impaled the super-solider with his own greatsword. Zig’s massive blade penetrated right through the area where Elena had shattered Marcus’s chest plate.

            Marcus slumped over as Zig’s sword ran him through. He tried to lift his blade to strike Zig. However, Juliana aimed her own blade at _Scythecrusher_ and the mighty weapon’s blade exploded in a pulse of purple energy. Marcus then finally succumbed to his wounds and died gurgling on the blade of Zig’s sword.

            Zig heaved a sigh of relief and proudly announced, “The tower is ours now!”

            Elena nodded as Kyla was still fuming over Tom Arthus having escaped yet again. Elena’s eyes then glowed with orange fire and her face took on a resolute look. She told Juliana, “Please heal Arya and Chad. I think today’s fighting is actually far from over.”

            Juliana nodded and began to distribute her healing yet again.

            Kyla asked Elena, “Arthus got away to meet with Aximos. How do you plan on chasing him down now?”

            Elena’s DWD began to glow with orange fire, as she explained, “We cannot allow our enemies to regroup. Who knows what tyrannical plans they will come up with if left undisturbed? My patron will get us to Aximos’s realm. Ready yourselves, as we will be fighting both the former Lord Arthus and his master soon enough!”

            After Arya and Chadwick were both healed up, Elena focused intensely and a new rift in reality began to open. It looked as though flickering waves of fire were forcing this portal open. Light blue energy fought back and tried to close the portal as it opened.

            Kyla reloaded her SMG and then ordered, “Everybody through! We may not have much time!”

            Kyla rushed through the portal, followed by all seven others. As soon as they were all through, the portal closed behind them.

            The group found themselves in a featureless light blue plane with Tom Arthus facing them not far away. In the distance behind Tom, there was a large floating sphere. The orb was perfectly round and was colored light blue with a single white spot that replicated the way light would reflect on a sphere in a more “normal” dimension.

            Tom looked slightly shocked as dozens of beings composed of a multitude of perfectly-shaped solid objects, like the tendrils Elena had fought before, emerged from the “ground.” He then glared at the intruders and shouted, “Master Aximos, they have invaded your realm! What would you have me do?”

            A resounding male voice emanated from the sphere. It spoke, “Prove your worth to me by stopping this intrusion and recapturing the Ninetales. The Order Eidolons will aid you.”

            Kyla realized that the Order Eidolons were Aximos’s version of Anarchos’s Chaos Shard minions. They were therefore likely just mindless extensions of Aximos himself

            The swarm of Order Eidolons began to surge forward, shambling towards the invaders. Arya leapt forward and unleased an Inferno which burned away a portion of the swarm.

            Tom saw his foes engaging the swarm of Order Eidolons and then pointed a hand at Arya, shouting at her, “You will be the only one to survive this day!”

            Magical bonds of green energy began to wrap around Arya and hold her firmly in place while muzzling her mouth.

Kyla shouted, “I am going for Arthus!” She then charged forward and wiped out a cluster of Order Eidolons using her weapon’s ragnite flamethrower attachment.

Elena saw Tom conjuring a multi-layered force shield around himself. She then told Kyla, “I am coming with you!” Elena leapt into the sky on wings of fire and detonated a massive blast of fire below her. The inferno burst wiped out over twenty Order Eidolons and weakened Tom’s force shield.

Zig, Juliana, Chad, Ana and Rico all advanced at the oncoming horde, sending attacks into the swarm of foes as they moved in behind Kyla and Elena. The Order Eidolons were individually ponderous and weak compared to even the least experienced humanoid warriors. However, their strength came from their impressive numbers. More and more of the shambling beings emerged from the “ground” and continued to press the attack against Kyla and her allies.

            As Tom and Elena exchanged ranged spells, Kyla began to charge through the horde of Order Eidolons. She detonated Dragon Pulse after Dragon Pulse in order to blast away the swarms of enemies who tried to drag her down on her way to Tom.

            Eventually, Kyla neared the Sorcerer General as Elena dodged a beam of electricity from him. Kyla unloaded a clip of ammunition into Tom’s force shield, breaking it. She then saw an opening in the ranks of the Order Eidolons and rushed him with her Metal Claws ready.

            Kyla rushed Tom as Elena dove at him from the air. Tom tried to project a barrier of fire around himself to block his enemies from safely reaching him. However, Elena’s dive was charged with sparkling energy and the barrier dissipated.

            Kyla lunged at Tom with her Metal Claws, but he dodged her attack narrowly. Kyla was now on the opposite side of Tom, farther away from her allies then before.

            Elena then slammed Tom with her wings of fire. He staggered back, now heavily singed.

            Tom then turned to Kyla as Elena prepared for another close-range attack. As Kyla was about to plunge her claws into Tom’s chest, his eyes glowed light blue and he said, “Master Aximos, I will accomplish one last thing for you.”

            Elena lunged at Tom, her flaming wings burning with a raging fire. However, seconds before her wings impacted him, Tom struck Kyla with a massive blast of concussive force.

Kyla was sent flying a significant distance. She just barely managed to land on her feet as she saw Elena’s fiery wings hit home. The wings of fire burnt the injured Sorcerer General to a crisp. Tom Arthus was finally no more.

Kyla then looked around her and saw that a multi-layered wall of Order Eidolons was now standing between her and her allies. She turned around and saw the massive blue orb was floating not far from her. Kyla sensed the immense power of Aximos’s alien aura.

Kyla was about to try and make a run for the wall of Order Eidolons, not wanting to face Aximos alone. However, she saw the orb begin to fire beams of light at Elena, who had to move fast in the air to evade them.

Kyla then sensed something truly strange. Another aura had split off from Aximos. Kyla closed her eyes for a moment. She opened her eyes when her skin began to crawl. She had been in the presence of this particular aura before.

A figure that glowed with light blue energy now stood atop Aximos. It then levitated itself forward and glared down at Kyla.

Kyla Mega-Evolved and then shouted up, “I should have known! In the end, it all comes back to you!”

The blue being levitated himself closer to Kyla. She could sense pure hatred coming from the aura of the semi-solid soul form. Mewtwo then responded, sounding surprisingly calm, “Hello, Kyla. I will admit that I was wrong about one thing I told you before… I said that gods were all tall tales and myths. However, in the end, it turns out that they were real after all.”


	30. The Fight for the Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a quick note, more so than usual, some things in this chapter will make more sense to anyone who has read my prequel story, PMD: Dawn of the Imperium. I have somewhat recently released an edited edition of that story with bold commentary, the last of my "Author's Cut Editions" in the hope that some people reading this story would read it. Regardless, anyone who has read this far should still read this chapter. Especially as it is the penultimate chapter of this story.

            Kyla, now Mega-Evolved, glared up at the being hovering above her. He floated menacingly in front of the massive sphere that was Aximos. Somehow, her old nemesis, Arya’s fiancé Mewtwo, had returned to life.

            The airborne Mewtwo did not move to attack Kyla just yet, he then continued from where he had left off earlier, saying, “Yes, gods do exist, Arceus, Anarchos and Aximos among others. Speaking of Anarchos, just think of how much easier it would have been for our world to stop them if the Imperium had not fallen. With the organization of a large centralized state, resources could have been moved much more efficiently to combat the global crisis….”

            Kyla was unmoved. She interrupted, “How are you alive? I saw you die! I felt your aura fade away!”

            Mewtwo shook his head and then told Kyla, “I am dead, in fact. This form is a result of my soul being partially fused with Aximos. In exchange for my soul’s power, I was given liberation from our world’s afterlife and a new purpose by Aximos. Since our fusion, Aximos has been recuperating from his battle with the first Flamehawk at a much faster rate than he previously was.”

It suddenly dawned on Kyla that Mewtwo had had Aximos’s “ear” for some time now. She exclaimed, “That is why I was targeted by the Logos Order! You wanted your revenge and so you told Arthus that I was to be eliminated.”

            Mewtwo chuckled and explained, “When Lord Arthus learned about your species, he sought your unique power of Aura Sense for himself. After learning about the Sorcerer General’s desire, I used my fusion with Aximos to order him to target you for abduction and dissection. I planned for you to die alone and helpless. However, I like how things have worked out to bring us to this moment. This time, I have the power of a god backing me and am uninjured. Also, you are separated from you allies. Killing you myself will be far more satisfying!”

            Mewtwo began to fly down towards Kyla. She took aim at him with her SMG and shouted, “It all adds up now. You must have had Arya kidnapped as well in order to ‘clean up loose ends!’”

            Mewtwo flung himself down at Kyla as she opened fire on him. His body now took on the form of his bulkier Mega-Evolution. He screamed at her, enraged, “How dare you suggest that! She was not to be killed under any circumstances! You killed the escorts that would have brought her to be sent here! Why would I have the one I love murdered?”

            Kyla sprayed Mewtwo with ragnite fire as he neared her. However, the flamethrower finally ran out of fuel. Kyla reflexively held her SMG in front of her as Mewtwo reached her.

            Mewtwo rapidly manifested a Psycho Cut blade from each of his fists. He then sliced into Kyla’s weapon, destroying it.

            Kyla jumped back and then readied her Metal Claws. She shouted as she and Mewtwo locked “blades,” “I was going to hang that on my wall!”

            Mewtwo retorted, “Just as I thought. You are not a worthy opponent, Kyla. You are just a sharp instrument. You are all anger and determination with no grander goals. You just got lucky the last time we fought. With Aximos’s power, I will bring order to our home and beyond! But first, you will die for what you did to me!”

            Kyla was knocked away by Mewtwo’s sheer strength and went flying back a bit. As she got up, she thought, “The others need to get through the Order Eidolons soon! He has the power of a god, albeit a severely weakened one, backing him this time. Even if Arya decides to help him, no one else will. We need to face him and Aximos together!”

            Kyla then rushed at Mewtwo and blasted him with a Dragon Pulse. Mewtwo was sent flying back a bit. However, he stayed in the air and responded by conjuring up his own Aura Sphere.

            Before Kyla could react, she was blasted by Mewtwo’s Aura Sphere. She clutched her stomach as the impact injured her heavily.

            Mewtwo then charged at Kyla, generating two new blades in the process. Kyla fired her own Aura Sphere into Mewtwo as he advanced, but it had little effect on him. Mewtwo then grinned and impaled the two blades into Kyla’s chest and stomach.

            As Kyla fell to her knees, fading fast, Mewtwo shouted, “Now, Aximos! Help me finish her off!”

            Mewtwo floated to the side a bit as Aximos fired a beam of energy into Kyla. The beam effectively knocked Kyla’s Mega-Evolution out of her on top of injuring her further.

            Kyla could sense her allies and loved ones’ auras getting closer. However, her time seemed to be up. Too weakened to stand up, Kyla glared at Mewtwo and told him, “You can kill me, but you will never have broken my spirit!” She was hoping to get him to gloat and lecture her for long enough for her backup to arrive, even if Arya was with them.

            Mewtwo floated up next to Kyla and placed him hands around her throat. He then told her, “Once you are dead, Aximos will absorb your soul. You will be tormented until your spirit finally breaks. This is the end of you, no matter what happens next.”

            As Mewtwo began to strangle Kyla, she tried to grab his arms and force them off of her throat. However, tendrils made of the same perfect shapes as the Order Eidolons grabbed each of Kyla’s arms. Her arms were pulled behind her back and securely bound there. Then, other tendrils wrapped around her thighs and ankles, pinning her to the floor. All Kyla could do was glare and struggle as Mewtwo choked the life out of her.

Kyla began to feel her life fading, becoming unable to breathe. However, just as she was about to pass out from her windpipe being crushed, she heard a single female voice shouting, “STOP!”

            Kyla felt Mewtwo’s hands retract a bit as he stammered, “Arya?”

            Kyla was now able to turn her head for long enough to see that Arya had broken through the line of Order Eidolons and was walking up to Mewtwo. The Ninetales then continued, “We heard everything! This dimension channels sound quite well. Mewtwo, I cannot believe I am looking at you again. It has been too long. …Regardless; I cannot let you do this!”

            Mewtwo was clearly confused, as happy as he was to see Arya again. He asked Arya, “Do you mean kill Kyla?”

            Arya shook her head and replied, “No, I cannot let you side with a monster. I know how beings like Aximos think. I was nearly sacrificed to Anarchos and I learned during that crisis that such an entity cannot rule over others justly. They have no conception of compassion. They are only ruling for their own satisfaction, not for the benefit of their subjects. I do not care what anyone says, that is NOT you. I know you too well to believe that you want power merely for self-satisfaction! You once told me that I reminded you of what made it all worth it. Ruling for the benefit of all, not just because you could!”

            Mewtwo said nothing as he and Arya locked eyes. It was unclear even to Kyla whether he would take Arya’s words to heart. Suddenly a swarm of tendrils erupted from all sides of Arya. They grabbed her legs and tails and then muzzled her mouth. The voice of Aximos declared, “I have heard enough! You said that she was your companion, a kindred spirit to us. That was why you insisted time and again that she be brought here alive. What you said was clearly untrue, even if you did believe it then. …You must be rid of her!”

            The tendrils wrapped around Arya’s neck and began to strangle her. Kyla was still bound and could not turn around. However, she sensed the others nearing their position fast.

            Mewtwo then released Kyla’s neck, looking over at the tendrils attempting to murder Arya in horror. As Kyla began to regain her breath, Mewtwo stammered, “I really did lose my way… even before I died. Arya, I am so sorry. Aximos, you made a mistake letting me in! No one hurts my beloved!”

            Mewtwo floated into the air and his body surged with energy. The tendrils biding Kyla and Arya began to become loose and limp. Arya was now able to breathe through her nose.  

            Aximos’s voice called out, “No, you cannot betray me! You have too much…”

            Mewtwo interrupted, staying in place and focusing intensely, “Too much of your own power! You fool, you are about to be torn apart!”

            Kyla could not believe what she was seeing. Mewtwo had loved Arya after all. He was willing to abandon his chance to rule beside a god to save her life. Kyla was still unwilling to be a helpless bystander in the fight against Aximos. She focused herself and detonated a Dragon Pulse to shatter her bonds. She then stood up and saw Arya’s bonds being shattered by a bombardment of flaming force rockets.

            Elena flew into view on her wings of fire, followed my Zig, Ana, Rico, Chad and Juliana. The Order Eidolons were moving more slowly now. Their speed slowed to less than a crawl making them easy to outmaneuver and effectively helpless. Elena smirked, “This is quite the development. Aximos has been betrayed by the one whose soul he fused with.”

            As Juliana did her best to heal Kyla with a massive pulse of purple light, Chad shouted, “Kyla, we all saw you almost die! Those blocky monsters would not let us reach you until now. I can’t believe that Mewtwo is back?”

            Rico pointed out, “I think he is helping us? Aximos cannot attack us now!”

            Zig added, “The question now is how do we kill Aximos?”

            Aximos boomed, “Mewtwo, your interference will only be temporary. I will destroy the form I gave you and correct my earlier mistake!”

Mewtwo’s soul form slowly began to disintegrate as he shouted back, “Remember what I said about being torn apart, Aximos?”

Aximos screamed in pain as the front of his spherical body was ripped open by a flash of energy. Now, a smaller blue orb was visible in the midst of Aximos’s pink and white “guts.”

Mewtwo screamed to Arya and her allies, “Don’t just stand there like idiots! Attack his core while I can still stop him from countering!”

            Kyla could sense the resolve in Mewtwo’s aura. He was doing all that he could to contain Aximos’s tremendous power. Kyla, Ana and Rico all Mega-Evolved, as Arya blasted the core with a Flamethrower. The remaining Order Eidolons were trying to advance on the group, but they were too slow now to pose a real threat.

            As Mewtwo continued to disintegrate slowly, Elena shouted, “Chad, I have a plan! Throw Zig at the core!”

            Zig told Elena, “I trust you, Flamehawk!” Chad then picked Zig up as Juliana placed her longsword on Zig’s blade, inflaming it with purple energy.

            Chad threw Zig at Aximos. Zig then delivered one powerful slash into Aximos’s core, ripping the beginnings of a hole in the blue orb. As Zig fell to the “ground,” Elena summoned a hand of force to catch him. Zig then began to run back over to his allies. He drew a ragnite grenade as he did so.

            Kyla, Ana and Rico all launched Aura Spheres into the core, ripping small holes all over it. Juliana summoned a column of fire over Aximos, blasting him heavily. It looked like the more damage Aximos took, the longer Mewtwo was able to last against being disintegrated. However, Aximos was focusing all of his effort onto vaporizing Mewtwo now. He had to know that succeeding in that goal was his only means of survival.   

            Zig tossed a ragnite grenade at Aximos’s core, the explosion damaging the “guts” all around it and the core itself. Chad fired off his own Flamethrower at the core and Elena detonated another inferno burst over Aximos.

            Aximos continued to scream in pain as he was bombarded with attacks. His Order Eidolons were helpless to aid their master. They began to be absorbed back into the ground in order to empower and heal him.

            Zig fired at the core with his Terranoran rifle as everyone continued to bombard the weakened and vulnerable god with their attacks. Arya called out, clear distress in her voice, “Mewtwo, you are nearly gone!”

            Mewtwo was indeed now only a series of slivers. However, he could still respond, “Arya, I knew that I kept you around for a reason. The last thing you must do for me is live your life and move along. Do not let anybody tell you that you’re an evildoer. You were always the light in my life.”

            As Mewtwo was almost gone, Arya shouted, “I love you!” To him. She then blasted Aximos’s core with another Flamethrower.

            The Order Eidolons were all gone now, absorbed back into Aximos. However, everyone was giving it their all to hit the core with everything they had.

            One of Mewtwo’s eyes was the last bit of him left as he told Arya, “I love you too. Just keep on doing what you think is right…. I trust you…” Mewtwo’s eye was vaporized. As far as anyone knew, he was gone from that realm, purged from Aximos.

            Aximos rumbled, “Damn it! He certainly left his mark. …I guess that the only one I can trust is me.” Aximos then attempted to seal up his wound and protect his core. However, Arya angrily shouted, “No you don’t!” She blasted Aximos with an Inferno and then her other allies, excluding Kyla, fired off one last barrage at his core.

            Elena called out, “We are going to finish the first Flamehawk’s greatest mission today! We will go down in history just as I predicted!” She then detonated another explosion of fire over Aximos’s core as Juliana fired a beam of purple light into the core from her longsword.

            The combination of moves, spells and one ragnite grenade badly injured Aximos and prevented him from closing his outer shell. Aximos screamed, “I refuse to die like this! I once ruled world after world. The traitor was supposed to empower me to regain my former glory! It cannot end this way! There was so much I still needed to do…”

            Kyla conjured an Aura Sphere and then told Aximos, “You underestimated both him and us. This is the end of you!” Kyla launched her Aura Sphere right into the perforated and singed core, shattering it.

            Aximos was unable to even scream as he disappeared into a shower of sparks of blue and white light.  

            Arya then collapsed to the ground in tears. Kyla sensed a whirling mix of emotions in the Ninetales.

            Suddenly the whole vicinity began to shake. Elena began to frantically punch coordinates into the DWD, calling out, “With Aximos dead, this dimension will collapse within minutes! I am taking us back to Austean. We have accomplished our mission here. …My patron will finally know that her nemesis has been slain. Thank you, Kyla.”

            As Elena opened the portal, the outer limits of the realm began to contort and collapse. Chad picked up the sobbing Arya and shouted, “I guess I have to carry her this time. Now, we are getting out of here!”

            Kyla smiled, admiring her husband’s usual take charge attitude. She then followed him and the others through the portal. Elena was the last one out of the collapsing domain. She looked back at the horrifically burnt corpse of Tom Arthus right before she stepped back into Austean. The Sorcerer General’s body would be wiped from existence when the dimension collapsed completely. The DWD he had been wearing on his arm would also be no more.

            Elena dashed through the portal after all of her allies were through it. She then closed the hole in reality just before the realm of Aximos collapsed completely.

            Kyla looked around her and realized that she was back in the courtyard of the Logos Order Tower. Looking around and scanning with her Aura Sense she detected no hostiles in the area. Kyla saw Stephan, Stanford and Cordelia talking with Theodore nearby the opened main gate. She also noticed Tanya and Emmet debating with Lana and Stanley near the tower compound as she looked behind her. She saw the colossi in the distance with the main force as well.

            Ruby and Emily ran up to Elena and Juliana, happy to see the two of them alive. Kyla collapsed to the ground, as Chad put Arya down. She was well beyond exhausted. However, it was done and she was safe. Aximos had been destroyed and any possible remnants of the Logos Order would likely disband without their master. They would also not be able to travel between dimensions, since Tom Arthus had destroyed his stash of DWDs.

            Kyla looked over and saw Elena and Juliana embrace, also clearly exhausted. Kyla thought, “I actually killed a god! A severely weakened and stunted one, but a god nonetheless. With any luck, that was my last adventure…”

            Ana and Rico looked down at their mother. They both looked over at each other, wondering if they should pick her up. However, they decided to let her rest for the time being. She had earned it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter to go now. The final chapter of this story will not be one of my traditional epilogues. However, it arguably has some elements of one.


	31. Finishing the Duel

            The night after the death of Aximos, the various forces that had come together to defeat the Logos Order rested in and around the captured tower. Chad and Kyla slept together in Tom Arthus’s own quarters. It was currently unknown if the tower was going to be sold back to the House Arthus, its original owners. Such an action would ultimately fall under the purview of the Terranoran government.

            The morning after the battle, Elena and the DWD were both fully recharged. Everyone was thanked for their help in ending the menace Aximos and his minions had posed. Elena then began the business of getting everybody back to where they belonged. Elena first opened up a portal to Megapolis, allowing General Theodore’s Alliance Territory force to return home. She then returned the four colossi who had come to aid the expeditionary force to their home peninsula. Pelagia, Kuromori and Cenobia, the vaguely feline Scout Colossus, had all been happy to help. Their tortoise companion, Basaran, insisted that that would in fact be the LAST fortress he helped to capture as the colossi returned to their own world.

            Then, the time came for Kyla, her family and friends and Arya to return to Polumbos City. Plenty of hugging took place as Kyla and Arya were unsure if they would ever see their human friends again. Elena expressed sincere gratitude towards Kyla for finishing her sacred mission by slaying Aximos.

Before the group of Pokémon returned to Polumbos, Zig announced that he was going to stay on Austean for the time being. Elena and Juliana going to help him find a new home for the Darcsens that he could gather from Europa. Juliana mentioned that her deity had told her that finding a new home for Europa’s Darcsens was to be considered a holy quest. They wanted to make up for not helping stop the Darcsens’ oppression in the preceding centuries. That home could end up being the colossi’s peninsula, somewhere on Austean, or somewhere else entirely. Zig also thanked Kyla profusely for her role in saving his life and the council she had given him. He also thanked Kyla’s family and friends for their timely arrival and help in finishing off the Logos Order. After helping Zig, Elena and Juliana were planning on returning to Eulidia, the country of their birth. Once there, Elena intended to start a revolution against the Eulidian church and the state that supported it. She swore to do so even if that revolution only consisted of her and her lover.

Once everyone’s goodbyes were said, Kyla led the Pokémon through the portal that Elena had opened to Polumbos City. After all that had happened, it was finally time to go home.

            Upon returning home, Kyla was reunited with her mother Marina, her stepfather Henry and her youngest daughter, Macy. She promptly began work on finishing her painting from before soon after. She also had gathered plenty of inspiration for future works from her recent journeys.

Arya asked Ana to write a letter to be delivered by a Guild Pellipper courier to Semberta on the Frontier Continent. The letter was intended to inform Arya’s friend Aurora that she was safe and would be returning home in the weeks to come.

Everyone who had been involved in the Logos Order conflict would tell their friends and family their stories. However, it was unclear how far the stories would spread and if they would impact the course of the world’s redevelopment at all. It seemed unlikely that more humans, or other beings, from other dimensions would show up again anytime soon. However, the possibility was always there, considering how vast the multiverse seemed to be. 

            Two days after Kyla and company had returned to their home world, Kyla and Arya walked back over to the clearing where they had faced off earlier. Neither of them were carrying any items. The duel was to be finished as it was started, with just the two of them.

            As Kyla and Arya entered the clearing, Kyla made sure that there was no one else in the vicinity using her Aura Sense. She then nodded to Arya and the two of them walked over to their starting positions.

            Kyla told Arya, as she took her position, “I just want you to know that back in the tower’s dungeon, I honestly believed that you were being taken away to be dissected. I really believed that we were saving your life.”

            Arya replied, “I know, Kyla. You had no way of knowing what their real plan for me was. I can forgive you for the misunderstanding. To be honest myself, had I been brought to Aximos, I could have ended up dead anyway. We would not have had the chance we ended up having to stop him in that case.”

            Kyla added, “We are still going to fight then, aren’t we? I still don’t regret killing Mewtwo. Even if he ended up giving us the opportunity we needed. I will give him one thing, though. He really did love you and in the end, love won us that fight and saved my life.”

            Arya nodded and then finished, “I am not going to fight you for Mewtwo anymore. I feel vindicated enough by his sacrifice. Even if I am sorry for the way he brutalized you, regardless of your past actions. I am going to fight you for me and do my best to move on regardless of who wins.”

            Kyla nodded and told Arya, “We may never be friends, but at least we will have some closure. …Very well then, let’s finish this!”

            Kyla conjured an Aura Sphere and fired it at Arya, starting off their duel.

            Arya withstood the hit as she was running right at Kyla. She then retaliated with an Inferno attack. Kyla leapt out of the way of part of the blast. However, she was still badly singed by the raging torrent of fire.

            Kyla fired another Aura Sphere into Arya. She knew that she could not miss with them. Therefore, they were probably her best chance of beating her fire spewing opponent.

            Arya then rushed Kyla at breakneck speed. She was clearly about to try the same Fire Blast tactic that she had unsuccessfully used during their earlier duel.

            Kyla Attempted to Dodge Arya’s Fire Blast as it formed in her mouth. However, Arya corrected her aim at the last moment. Kyla took a solid and direct hit to the stomach.

            Kyla fell to her knees as Arya pulled away and then turned to face her again. She felt herself fading as the Fire Blast really had proved to be devastating. Kyla attempted to conjure up one last Aura Sphere to try and finish Arya off. However, she simply collapsed onto the ground, barely conscious, instead.

            As Kyla did her best to keep breathing, she saw Arya looking down at her and closing in. Fire briefly formed in Arya’s mouth. Kyla felt a brief flash of mortal terror. However, the fire soon died down. The last thing Kyla felt as she closed her eyes was Arya’s mouth gently gripping one of her arms. Kyla felt herself beginning to be pulled in the direction of Polumbos City.

\---

            As Arya had watched Kyla fall to her knees and then down onto her stomach, she had thought, “I won… I guess that risking getting into melee with her in order to use Fire Blast was a good tactic after all.”

            Arya then walked over to the barely conscious Kyla. She thought, “I could kill her right now and then skip town. I could avenge Mewtwo right here and now. …No, I am better than that. I can’t do that to her after all we went through together, to say nothing of her family and friends. …I better get her back to Polumbos so she doesn’t end up being eaten by a wild Pokémon. After I know Kyla is safe, I am leaving that city for good. There should be a caravan headed all the way to the northern coast leaving Polumbos soon.”

            Arya then carefully grabbed one of Kyla’s arms in her mouth and dragged her all the way to the north entrance of Polumbos City. Arya was not surprised to see Chadwick there standing alone.

            Arya let go of the unconscious Kyla and looked up at Chad, who calmly said, “I see that you won…”

            Arya replied, “You will likely never see me again. I am headed out of here with the next caravan north. I have the closure I came here to obtain. Thank you for your help earlier…with Aximos and everything.”

            Chad nodded and then gently picked up his unconscious wife.

            As Arya was turning to leave, she turned around and groaned for a brief moment. She then told Chad, “Take good care of her. She’s a brave one, I will give her that.”

            Chad nodded to Arya. He then told her, “Goodbye, Arya. You have a safe trip home.” He then turned around to take Kyla back to their house.

            Arya then made her way to where the caravan was supposed to be waiting for prospective passengers. She would have quite the story to tell Aurora when she got home.

\---

            Kyla woke up on her own bed with a jolt. She looked around and saw Chadwick sitting directly next to her on their bed.

            Chad smiled down at Kyla and told her, “Easy there. Everything’s fine. Arya brought you to me and I took you home. Sorry that I did not let you rest. I had to feed you a Reviver Seed we had lying around for emergencies. I do not want us to be late.”

            As Kyla sat up on her bed next to Chad, she asked her husband, “Late for what?”

            Chad explained, “My parents are going to meet us for dinner at Chateau Polumbos, where we had our first date, for dinner. We have their biggest table reserved. We decided to let it be a surprise for you.”

            Kyla then sensed a multitude of familiar auras in the main room of her house. She got off of her bed and told Chad, smiling warmly, “Sounds good to me. Why don’t we go and meet everyone, then?”

            Chad kissed Kyla. After that, Kyla opened up the drawer of her small bedside table and got out the old necklace her father had given her years ago. She then had Chad gently fasten it around her neck. The couple then opened their bedroom door and walked into the main room of their home. There, Kyla saw Ana with Cordelia, Stephan with Stanford and Rico with Macy.

            Macy, Kyla’s Riolu daughter, ran up to her mother and hugged her leg. Macy exclaimed, “It’s so good to have you back, mom!” Macy was still relieved to see her mother safe at home again, despite the two of them having reunited two days ago.

            Kyla bent down to embrace her youngest child and replied, “It’s really good to be back sweetie. …I think that somebody is at the door.”

            Rico opened the door and then Kyla’s mother, the older Lucario Marina, and Kyla’s Typhlosion stepfather Henry walked into the room.

            Kyla rushed into her mother’s arms after patting Macy on the head. As mother and daughter embraced, Marina told Kyla, “I know that I said this before, but it’s wonderful to see you again, Kyla. You still have to tell us everything that happened. You know that we were all incredibly worried about you!”

            Kyla nodded and then told Marina, “It’s wonderful to see you too, mom. Don’t worry, you will hear it all in due time.”

            After Kyla and Marina stopped hugging, Chad promptly announced, “I think that it’s about time we make our way to the restaurant.”

            Kyla walked over to Chad and took his hand. Then, the ten-member procession left the house and began to make its way over to the Chateau Polumbos.

            As they made their way over to the restaurant, Kyla mused on her life thus far. She had endured many hardship over the years, abandonment, imprisonment, war, her father’s death, and multiple near-death experiences. However, in the end she could be content with how her life had turned out. That was because, in the end, she was back home where she belonged and there, she was loved.  

            The view pans up into the late-afternoon sky above Polumbos City.

 _Convergence:_ THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another story fully posted! Thanks to anyone who read my crossover through to the end. I hope that you all enjoyed the story. In three days, I should begin posting Sacred Wars Part II: Fall of Austean. That story is this story's prequel and, more importantly, the sequel to Sacred Wars: Tales of Austean. So, thanks one more time to anyone who read this story "cover to cover." Writing this story was something I am glad I did. I am happy that I could give Kyla's story such solid closure through this crossover. That is all for now.


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